In Focus
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.
In Focus
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.
Research Briefing
The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [HL] is a government bill comprising a single substantive clause. It would extend the period in which vacancies among the lords spiritual are filled by bishops who are women by five years. The lords spiritual are the maximum of 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops in the House of Lords. The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 is currently due to expire in May 2025. The bill has been introduced at the request of the Church of England. This briefing provides a summary of the background to the bill, including the appointments procedure for the lords spiritual. It summarises the bill’s provisions and provides statistics on women bishops in the House of Lords.
Research Briefing
This Lords Library briefing provides background information about the office of leader of the House of Lords and lists those who have held this position since 1963.
Research Briefing
This House of Lords Library briefing provides a list of movers and seconders of the humble address to the sovereign, following the sovereign’s speech at the State Opening of Parliament. The list provides information from 1979 to 2024.
Research Briefing
Prorogation is the mechanism by which parliamentary sessions are ended. This House of Lords Library briefing sets out the start and end dates of each parliamentary session since 1900, together with the number of calendar days between the end of the previous session and the start of the new one.
In Focus
As of 2018, around 6% of House of Lords members were from ethnic minorities, doubling from nearly 3% in 2000. In comparison, following the 2024 general election, nearly 14% of MPs are from ethnic minorities. As its membership is appointed, the House of Lords’ diversity is largely dependent on the frequency and scale of appointments, which are in the power of the prime minister.
In Focus
This briefing explores the history of life peerages and prospects for appointing peers outside of the Life Peerages Act 1958.
Research Briefing
Hereditary peer by-elections are held to replace excepted hereditary peers who have retired or died. In July 2024, the House agreed to pause by-elections. The Labour government has committed to passing legislation that would end them permanently. This Lords Library briefing provides a list of by-election results since the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, including information on turnout and the number of candidates.
Research Briefing
Research briefing setting out the government’s commitments covering the constitution, including House of Lords reform, for the House of Lords debate on the 2024 King’s Speech.
Data dashboard
This page provides interactive data on the current membership of the House of Lords.
In Focus
Common law long provided that peers of parliament could not vote in general elections. In the last 25 years, this has been put on a statutory footing and peers who are members of the House of Lords remain barred from voting. This briefing explores how this came to be and looks at recent attempts to change this disenfranchisement.
Data dashboard
This dashboard presents interactive data about the business of the House and length of sittings during parliamentary sessions.
In Focus
The mace is a staff of office symbolising the authority of the sovereign in Parliament. A mace is carried to the Lords and the Commons chambers in a procession at the beginning and end of each sitting day. In the Lords, it rests on the woolsack behind the lord speaker during proceedings. As is the case in the Commons, the Lords may not conduct business in the chamber whilst it is not present. But where did this custom and tradition come from and are maces found in other parliaments?
In Focus
In 1928, Parliament passed legislation that set the date of Easter on “the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April”. This was subject to an order in council that specified that, before any commencement order, “regard” be given to “any opinion officially expressed by any church or other Christian body”. The act has never been commenced. It remains on the statute book. This briefing delves into the Hansard archives to find that 25 years ago the House debated the merits of bringing that act into force.
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