House of Lords Reform Since 1911 : Must the Lords Go?

Examines the debates and developments about House of Lords reform since 1911, and notes that disagreements have occurred within, as well as between, the main political parties and governments throughout this time. It draws attention to how various proposals for reform have raised a wider range constitutional and political problems. In 1911, the power of the House of Lords was curbed, as a prelude to establishing a more democratic Second Chamber. A century later, the House of Lords is still comprised mostly of appointed peers, with some hereditary peers remaining. This book explains why House of Lords reform has proceeded so erratically since 1911, and why an elected Second Chamber has still not been established 100 years later. Using a range of primary sources, including Cabinet papers, Ministerial correspondence, the archives of the main political parties and the private papers of various key political figures, this unique study traces the main proposals for reform of the Second Chamber during the last 100 years, and notes that even the apparently simplest measures have raised complex or constitutionally awkward problems when exposed to fuller discussion and examination. Furthermore, the issue of House of Lords reform has not only repeatedly revealed disagreements between the main parties, but also marked differences within them, which have exacerbated the problems of securing agreement on proposals for reform Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-9 Firing the First Shots: The 1911 Parliament Act and Inter-War Initiatives....Pages 10-55 Labour Learns the Complexities of Lords Reform: The 1949 Parliament Act....Pages 56-86 Pouring New Wine into the Old Bottle: The 1958 Life Peerages Act....Pages 87-115 A Right of Renunciation: The 1963 Peerage Act....Pages 116-134 Crossman can’t Convince his Colleagues: The 1969 Parliament (No. 2) Bill....Pages 135-170 Out with the Hereditary Peers — or most of them: The 1999 House of Lords Act and Beyond....Pages 171-216 Conclusion: A Constant Constitutional Conundrum....Pages 217-228 Back Matter....Pages 229-243 Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 List of Tables and Boxes 9 Acknowledgements 10 Introduction 11 1 Firing the First Shots: The 1911 Parliament Act and Inter-War Initiatives 20 2 Labour Learns the Complexities of Lords Reform: The 1949 Parliament Act 66 3 Pouring New Wine into the Old Bottle: The 1958 Life Peerages Act 97 4 A Right of Renunciation: The 1963 Peerage Act 126 5 Crossman can’t Convince his Colleagues: The 1969 Parliament (No. 2) Bill 145 6 Out with the Hereditary Peers – or most of them: The 1999 House of Lords Act and Beyond 181 Conclusion: A Constant Constitutional Conundrum 227 Notes 239 Bibliography 240 Index 246