There’s a sham election happening in Parliament. Here’s what you need to knowThe idea that people can become lawmakers for life – simply because they were born into the ‘right’ family – is, to most of us, absurd. Yet in the UK, in 2018, this is the...Posted 04 Jun 2018
Without urgent action, Britain’s super-sized second chamber is going to get even biggerIt’s already the second largest chamber in the world – but it’s about to get bigger. The House of Lords will be ‘bursting at the seams’ with more than 1,000 members by 2031, if its current...Posted 30 May 2018
The government tried to bury news on the bloated House of Lords. Here’s the facts…“Theresa May backs bid to cut the size of House of Lords” began a headline in February. It seems that three months is a lifetime in politics… Over the weekend, the PM attempted to bury...Posted 22 May 2018
Britain’s democratic farce: This is how the upcoming ‘hereditary by-election’ will workLast week, there was a rather hushed announcement in parliament: a resignation among the Lords. A peer has decided to retire. No big news usually, but this is no ordinary peerage. Nor will it be an ordinary...Posted 16 May 2018
What can be drawn from the House of Lords ‘abolition’ petition and other options for reformThe House of Lords is a centuries-old institution of British politics which has outlived many others and which, to this day, plays an active role in crafting the laws of the land. But in its...Posted 27 Apr 2018
A handful of hereditary peers are trying to stifle reform – they are on the wrong side of historyWestminster is packed full of peculiar traditions from the Commons’ door being slammed in Black Rod’s face to the ban on MPs clapping. While many of them are relatively harmless, there are others which are...Posted 03 Apr 2018
May has dropped the new Lords appointments for now. Here’s what must happen nextFor months now, there has been widespread speculation that new appointments to the House of Lords were imminent. The second chamber – already overflowing with nearly 800 peers – was to welcome yet more former...Posted 16 Feb 2018
There is no room left in the House of Lords and no appetite for yet more peersWhether it’s a restaurant, a stadium, or your belly – when something is full, logic determines you stop adding to it. This basic principle should be applied to the House of Lords, but it isn’t....Posted 14 Feb 2018
Voting patterns in the House of Lords rubbish claims of its independenceArticle first published by Politics.co.uk. It is anticipated that Theresa May will appoint up to a dozen Tory peers this month – which could be joined by a handful of Labour members and some from the DUP. It is...Posted 11 Jan 2018
There’s a lobbying scandal brewing in the House of LordsThe House of Lords has long been a home for party donors and lobbyists. But now it turns out even those who have supposedly retired are taking advantage of the unelected House. As if the...Posted 02 Jan 2018