House of Lords Reform – developments in the 2010 Parliament

Following the Government’s decision in the summer of 2012 to withdraw the House of Lords Reform Bill 2012-13, it said that it had no further plans for House of Lords reform in the current Parliament.

However, as a result of pressure from the House of Lords for changes to allow peers to leave a growing House of Lords, the Government announced that it would support a private Member’s bill to allow members of the House of Lords to retire. The Bill also provided that members who did not attend and those convicted of serious offences should cease to be members of the House of Lords. Departing members may not return to the House of Lords. The Bill was enacted as the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 and five members of the House of Lords have retired under its provisions.

This Note provides a brief overview of key events in House of Lords Reform from the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999 to the 2010 general election. It then outlines the Government’s plans for Lords reform which were withdrawn in summer 2012 and notes “housekeeping measures” that have been made since then.