Members of the House of Commons may now vote by proxy in certain circumstances. In contrast, the practice has been prohibited in the House of Lords for over 150 years. What is the background to the rule against proxy voting in the second chamber?
Documents to download
-
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:
- No carriages will be used, the Queen and the Regalia of State will travel by car.
- The Queen will wear day dress and a hat, whilst Officers of State will carry the Imperial State Crown, Sword of State and Cap of Maintenance.
- The Royal Procession will take place on a reduced scale.
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.
Documents to download
-
State Openings of Parliament: Reduced Ceremonial (527 KB, PDF)
Related posts
-
-
What have been the largest ever votes in the House of Lords? This briefing provides a list of divisions since 1999 where 500 or more Members have voted.
-
Catch up on articles about British politics and the constitution you may have missed from September and October 2020. This month we take a look at the role of modern monarchies, and how UK political parties operate abroad.
