Parliament evidence

HOL structure

• Over 800 hereditary peers reduced to the fixed number of 92 (91 sept 2024) – changed now

• 274 (36%) female

• Currently (2026) 233 conservatives, 215 labour, 148 cross bench in HOL

HOC Parliamentary privilege

Layla Morgan MP named 35 Russian Oligraches who she described as “key enablers” of the Kremlin in HOC in 2022, following invasion of Ukraine. By invoking parliamentary privilege, she was immune from defamation or libel proceedings

limits of HOL

• HOL are CONSTITIONALLY CONSTRAINED. Salisbury Convention, Parliament Acts. 1%-5% amendments approved.

• House of Lords 60 Defeat (2022-2023) Independent, Cross Benches, NOT WHIPPED.

HOL committees

• House of Lords committees play a vital role in examining public policy, proposed laws and government action. In the 2023-24 session:

  • the Environment and Climate Change Committee published its report on electric vehicles 

  • the Economic Affairs Committee started investigating the sustainability of national debt

  • the Science and Technology Committee published its report on long-duration energy storage

  • the International Relations and Defence Committee launched its inquiry into the implications of the war in Ukraine for UK defence

• In 2025, the Lords Constitution Committee warned that the rule of law was under threat in the UK

HOL defeating government legislation

•   In 2022, the Lords defeated the government 14 times in one day over the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

• The Rwanda Bill, 2024, was repeatedly amended by HOL (total of 10 times) but was ultimately passed. It was declared unlawful by UKSC.

• Between 2015 and 2024, Conservative governments were defeated 578 times in the Lords, compared to just over 50 times in the Commons

Recent HOL admissions

• Professor Dame Clare Gerada: A distinguished medical practitioner and former president of the Royal College of GPs, bringing decades of NHS and mental health expertise.

• Polly Neate CBE: A prominent social policy expert who previously served as the chief executive of Shelter and Women's Aid, focusing on housing, homelessness, and abuse

• Andy Roe: Chair of the National Building Safety Regulator and former London Fire Commissioner, bringing heavy-industry and safety expertise.

• Dr Sophy Antrobus MBE: Senior Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King’s College London.

• David Pitt-Watson: A leading expert in responsible investment and finance.

• Professor Geeta Nargund: A noted fertility specialist and health equality campaigner

Social representation in HOC

• Gender: A record 263 women were elected, comprising roughly 40.5% of the House, marking the highest level of female representation in UK parliamentary history.

• Ethnicity: There are 90 Members of Parliament from ethnic minority backgrounds, constituting 14% of the Commons. This approaches the ethnic minority share of the broader UK population.

• LGBTQ+: A record 64 MPs openly identify as LGBTQ

Social representation of HOL

• Gender: Around 32% of eligible House of Lords members are women, trailing behind the gender representation in the House of Commons.

• Ethnicity: Only about 6% of peers are from minority ethnic backgrounds. This is roughly half the proportion seen in the general population and the House of Commons.

• Geography: The chamber is severely imbalanced geographically. Approximately 44% of peers reside in London and the South East of England.

Effective PMQs

• Exposing Policy Contradictions (2026): Conservative Leader Kemi Badenock effectively utilized her six allotted questions to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer on inconsistencies in the government's fuel duty policy, revealing how the sudden elimination of an emergency discount was financially squeezing motorists in her rural constituency.

• Draining Prime Ministerial Authority (2021-2022): Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer used aggressive, fact-based questioning during the Partygate and Pinchergate scandals. The relentless public grilling exposed evasive answers from Boris Johnson, ultimately eroding his authority and paving the way for the mass ministerial resignations that forced his exit.