Our research on the House of Lords

Following the recent announcement of 36 new life peers by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this briefing provides information and statistics on peers created under the Life Peerages Act 1958. This includes breakdowns by decade and by prime minister. It also contains a list of every life peer appointed under the Act.

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.

There is no fixed number of seats in the House of Lords, and its make up can change week by week. This Library briefing provides a snapshot of its composition on 12 June 2020.

This In Focus article considers the impact of changes the House of Lords has made during the pandemic on Member participation, focusing on the period between the introduction of hybrid proceedings and the beginning of the 2020 summer recess.

There is currently no cap on the membership of the House of Lords. Some have recommended the introduction of a cap to address concerns about the size of the House. This article discusses recent proposals to cap the membership at 600 and sets out the Government's position. It also contains brief information on recent changes in the size of the House.

This article analyses the 36 new peerages announced by the Prime Minister on 31 July 2020. It provides statistics on the background, gender and party affiliation of the new peers. The article also compares the number and gender balance of peers created by Boris Johnson with those of the former Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May.