With reference to state openings in 2019, 2017, March 1974 and 1939, this briefing discusses the differences between a traditional state opening and one with reduced ceremonial elements.
State Openings of Parliament: Reduced Ceremonial (225 KB , PDF)
Following the 2019 general election, the State Opening of Parliament on 19 December was held with “reduced ceremonial elements”.
The last time the state opening had featured reduced ceremonial elements was on 21 June 2017. It differed from normal state openings in a number of ways, including:
• No horse-drawn carriages were used. Instead, the Queen and the Regalia of State were transported by cars.
• The Queen wore a day dress and a hat, rather than the ceremonial robes.
• There was a reduced royal procession.
The 2017 state opening marked the opening of the 2017–19 session and followed the general election held on 8 June 2017. It featured reduced ceremonial elements due to its timing. Prior to this, Erskine May states that the ceremonies between 1917 and 1919 and 1939 and 1948 also featured “less than the customary ceremony”, as did the state opening in March 1974.
This briefing outlines the traditional state opening ceremony, followed by a description of the state openings of 2017, March 1974 and 1939, setting out how the ceremonies in these years differed from the norm.
State Openings of Parliament: Reduced Ceremonial (225 KB , PDF)
The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) vets nominations to the House and recommends non-party political members. While its advice is usually followed, it is not a statutory body and the prime minister can choose to disregard its advice. This briefing provides an overview of the role and powers of the commission and summarises recent debates concerning its reform.
This page provides interactive data on the creation of life peerages in the House of Lords.
In 2024 the restoration and renewal programme announced it would be developing three options to preserve the Palace of Westminster. Details should be presented to Parliament in 2025. Members will then decide whether the programme should temporarily relocate both Houses of Parliament, keep the Commons Chamber onsite while temporarily relocating the Lords, or conduct a rolling programme of works “to deliver enhanced maintenance and improvement”. Surveying, design and remediation work was also progressed in 2024.
