This House of Lords Library briefing gives a brief overview of the ceremony for the 2017 State Opening of Parliament and how it differs from previous years.
State Openings of Parliament: Reduced Ceremonial (527 KB , PDF)
It has been announced that the State Opening which will take place on 21 June 2017 will be conducted on the following basis:
This briefing gives an outline of the traditional State Opening Ceremony, followed by a description of the State Openings of 1939 and March 1974, setting out how the ceremonies in these years differed from the norm.
State Openings of Parliament: Reduced Ceremonial (527 KB , PDF)
This proposed law would introduce a new “think again” procedure in the House of Lords so members could ask the House of Commons to consider their concerns before a draft affirmative statutory instrument is approved.
![Statutory Instruments (Amendment) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 14 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/House-of-Lords-568x426.png)
In light of the UK government’s recent proposals to reform the House of Lords, this briefing presents facts and figures comparing the House of Lords with other second chambers around the world.
Former prime minister Theresa May joined the House of Lords in August 2024 after standing down as an MP ahead of the 2024 general election. This followed David Cameron being appointed in November 2023 to serve as foreign secretary. This page lists former UK prime ministers who have held office since 1902, together with information on whether the individuals later received a peerage entitling them to sit in the House of Lords.
