In Focus
The Cabinet Manual was first published in 2011. It was described as “a guide to laws, conventions and rules on the operation of government”. The House of Lords Constitution Committee ran an inquiry on the manual in 2021. Its recommendations included that a draft update be produced as soon as possible. Responding, the government agreed to produce a new draft by the end of the current parliament.
In Focus
Legislation is complete when it has finished its parliamentary journey and received royal assent. At this point it is said to be ‘on the statute book’. Before it can become active law, it must be brought into force. This is known as ‘commencement’. But what happens if provisions are not commenced?
Research Briefing
The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Bill would extend the deadline for forming a Northern Ireland executive to 8 December 2022. It could be extended for another six weeks to 19 January 2023. The bill is due to complete all its stages in the House of Lords on 5 December 2022.
In Focus
In 2021, the government announced plans to reform the railways in Great Britain, with many of the proposed changes set out in the ‘Williams-Shapps plan for rail’. In the 2022 Queen’s Speech, the government said that it would legislate for them. However, in October 2022 the government announced that it would delay this primary legislation until the next parliamentary session due to a lack of time but said that non-legislative reforms would go ahead.
In Focus
In recent years there have been three occasions in which leadership of the government has changed without a general election having been called. This has given rise to questions about the relationship between a government’s legislative agenda and its most recent election manifesto. This article looks at how the Salisbury convention has shaped the House of Lords’ treatment of government manifesto bills.
Research Briefing
The Counsellors of State Bill [HL] would add the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex to the pool of members of the royal family who can act as counsellors of state if the sovereign is ill or absent from the UK. The bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 21 November 2022.
In Focus
During the first week following his accession to the throne, King Charles III addressed members of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons in Westminster Hall. This article looks at this speech and the speeches made by Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall. This article also looks at other speeches made in Westminster Hall to members of both Houses during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.
In Focus
Parliament has an important role upon a demise of the crown. This article looks at the legislation governing what happens in Parliament after a monarch dies and what has happened in Parliament following the deaths of previous monarchs.
In Focus
Corruption can be defined as dishonest and illegal behaviour by people in positions of power. It threatens national security, reduces access to services, erodes public trust in institutions and impedes investment. Measures of corruption produced by organisations such as Transparency International indicate stability in the UK’s recent global corruption rank. However, anti-corruption experts have pointed to a number of recent scandals which are leading to the perception that corruption in the UK is worsening.
In Focus
Fewer than 90 peerages can be inherited by a female heir thereby limiting the number of women eligible to stand and be elected to the House of Lords as hereditary peers. This article examines proposals put forward by campaign groups, and some parliamentarians, to change the rules that prevent women inheriting peerages.
Research Briefing
This private member’s bill would provide that powers devolved to Senedd Cymru must not be amended or withdrawn without a super-majority vote of its elected members.
Research Briefing
The House of Lords (Peerage Nominations) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill sponsored by Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative). The bill seeks to strengthen the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC). The House of Lords is due to debate the bill at second reading on 18 November 2022.
In Focus
The restoration and renewal programme was created to deliver the substantial repairs and modernisation the Palace of Westminster requires. Legislation enacted in 2019 provided for an independent sponsor body and a delivery authority to manage and oversee the works. However, the Commissions of both Houses have jointly proposed the abolition of the sponsor body and the creation of a new joint department to carry out its functions as part of a new mandate for the programme.
In Focus
The UK-Australia free trade agreement is the first trade agreement that the UK has negotiated from scratch since leaving the EU. Whilst the government’s impact assessment suggests the economic benefit to the UK’s GDP is likely to be modest, the government has described the agreement as “historic”. The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has welcomed the agreement but has suggested that its scope had been traded off for achieving an agreement quickly.
In Focus
The UK’s constitution comprises a host of diverse laws, practices and conventions that have evolved over time. Responsibility for the UK’s constitution lies with the Cabinet Office. In 2021, the Dunlop review recommended the creation of a secretary of state for intergovernmental and constitutional affairs; to date the government has not implemented this recommendation.
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