The Constitutional Position of the House of Lords

House of Lords

In this course, Professor Pete Dorey (Cardiff) explores the UK House of Lords, orienting his discussion around the UK Politics section of the Government and Politics A-Level specifications. We begin in the first lecture by outlining the constitutional position of the House of Lords, focusing in particular on developments such as the 1911, 1949, and 1999 Acts, before moving on in the second lecture to consider the composition of the Lords. Here, we cover the different types of Peers and their various backgrounds, as well as strengths of the Lords, such as how the expertise of Life Peers can improve the quality of their Select Committee work. In the third lecture, we outline the main powers and functions of the House of Lords, before moving on in the fourth lecture to cover the case for Lords reform. Close attention is paid throughout to the relative powers of the two Houses and the question of how relevant House of Lords reform remains as a political issue today.

The Constitutional Position of the House of Lords

In this module, we outline the constitutional position of the House of Lords, focusing in particular on: (i) the natural evolution of the House of Lords and gradual decline of its power; (ii) important developments such as the blocks on the Lords’ veto powers in the 1911 and 1949 Parliament Acts; (iii) the importance of the fact that the House of Lords is not elected; (iv) changes to the composition of the House of Lords as with the 1958 Life Peerage Act and 1999 House of Lords Act; (v) the relative powers of the House of Lords and House of Commons and (vi) the importance of the fact that the House of Lords is recognised as subordinate to the House of Commons due to the unelected status of its members.