The Commons versus the Lords: What’s the difference? Our parliament is made up of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, but do we really need two chambers? It can be tempting to see it as pointless duplication, but the colour... Posted 04 Nov 2024
Hereditary Peers: Thank you for your contribution, and goodnight Last night, the first debate of the Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill happened in the House of Commons. The Bill, if passed, will remove the remaining 92 Peers who sit in our House of Lords purely... Posted 16 Oct 2024
The plans to remove all the hereditary peers are now in motion Today’s the day we’ve been waiting for, plans have been laid for the final 92 hereditary peers to lose their places in the Lords! For over 700 years the House of Lords has contained Peers... Posted 05 Sep 2024
Does the House of Lords have any power? This July, the King’s Speech outlined the government’s intention to remove hereditary seats from the House of Lords. This is a positive step toward reforming parliament’s second chamber, as it signals the beginning of the... Posted 28 Aug 2024
King’s Speech signals first moves on Lords and electoral reform The first King’s Speech of any new government is a significant political moment. Amid the ostentation and pomp of the ceremony, the government lays out in detail the plans for its legislation in the new... Posted 24 Jul 2024
ERS in the Press – Coverage we’ve secured in the GE campaign You might have noticed that there’s a general election approaching. Whilst the date of the election may have taken us all a little by surprise, the ERS communications team were ready to go and making... Posted 25 Jun 2024
It’s not just hereditary peers that are ‘hard to justify’ – It’s the whole unelected chamber Earlier this week, the Labour leader in the House of Lords hinted that if Labour were to win the general election, we could finally see an end to the 92 hereditary peers in the House... Posted 16 May 2024
What happens when the Lords defeat the Government? The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, allowing deportations to Rwanda for certain migrants who arrive in the UK via illegal routes, completed its passage through Parliament overnight on Monday 22 April, and gained... Posted 08 May 2024
Peter Mandelson should save his slimming tips for the House of Lords Lord Peter Mandelson found himself in the headlines a couple of times this week. Firstly, when he criticised Labour’s plans to scrap the unelected Lords and replace it with an elected chamber that better represents... Posted 07 Mar 2024
Why an elected second chamber won’t lead to gridlock Looking across the Atlantic at America’s Senate, it’s clear why concerns are often expressed that an elected second chamber may challenge the primacy of the House of Commons and at the extreme end, result in... Posted 19 Feb 2024