An Elected Lord?The British constitution, its parliament and its institutions are well known for its oddities and eccentricities: the space provided in the Commons cloakroom for MPs to hang their sword; the fact that all swans in...Posted 18 Sep 2015
Costly cronies of the House of LordsIn our new report, House of Lords Fact vs Fiction, we took a look at some of the enduring myths that surround our unelected second chamber. Peers are technically unpaid, but unlike the thousands of people...Posted 24 Aug 2015
It’s official: the House of Lords is completely bustToday, we can reveal that the House of Lords is officially, well and truly bust. We’re pleased to launch our new report on our unelected upper chamber: ‘House of Lords: Fact vs Fiction’ – where...Posted 16 Aug 2015
You can’t just use the votes cast in a general election to fill the House of LordsTry as the political class might, calls to reform the House of Lords always come to the fore. So it’s no surprise that the issue has been on the agenda again for the past week....Posted 10 Aug 2015
The House of Lords Needs a Major Overhaul, Not Tinkering Around the EdgesCalls for reform of the House of Lords have been heard even more loudly that normal in the last ten days and the reason is fairly obvious. The current set-up comes nowhere close to being...Posted 04 Aug 2015
The Canadian Senate – A second-rate second chamberIn the current debate about Lords reform it can often be tempting to look for easy solutions which broadly keep the structure of the Lords as it is, but deal with some of its defects....Posted 03 Aug 2015
Our unelected House of Lords is in dire need of a clear-outAnother month, another political controversy. In the Lords however – unlike our elected Commons – there’s no way for the public to hold Peers to account at the ballot box. Instead, you have to hope that...Posted 30 Jul 2015
End the patronageEarlier this week the UCL’s Constitution Unit released a new report titled Enough is Enough, outlining the ludicrous situation of Lords appointments. The House of Lords is now the second largest chamber on the planet, only...Posted 12 Feb 2015
The Supersized House of LordsThe House of Lords Reform Bill is gone. But the House of Lords remains unsustainable. At the heart of this problem is the chamber’s scope for growth. The House of Lords is already the largest Second...Posted 16 Jun 2013
Lords Reform: A failure for Britain’s political classAnd so it’s come to pass. After all the gossip the government has finally withdrawn the House of Lords Reform bill. This isn’t about the failure of one party, one government or one bill, but of...Posted 06 Aug 2012