This House of Lords Library briefing provides statistics on sessions since 1900 that have lasted for more than 12 months and lists the years in which there has been no Queen’s/King’s Speech. It also sets out how the length of a session is established.
Parliamentary Sessions: Years Without a Queen's Speech (695 KB , PDF)
Following the 2017 general election, the Government announced that the first session of the new parliament would be extended to two years. As a result, there is expected to be no Queen’s Speech in 2018. The last year in which there was no Queen’s Speech was 2011. Prior to this, there was no King’s Speech in 1915, 1925 or 1949.
The 2010–12 session was the longest since 1900 in terms of the number of sitting days. During this session, the House of Commons sat for a total of 295 days. Prior to this the longest session in terms of sitting days was the 1966–67 session in which the House of Commons sat for a total of 246 days.
Parliamentary Sessions: Years Without a Queen's Speech (695 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.
