Comparing the House of Commons & the House of Lords (Edexcel A Level Politics): Revision Note

Why compare the two Houses?

• The UK Parliament is bicameral, meaning it has two chambers

• Although the House of Commons is sometimes referred to as the ‘lower house’ and the House of Lords as the ‘upper house’, it is the House of Commons that is the more powerful of the two

  • This is because the House of Commons is elected, and therefore has primacy over the House of Lords

• It is also important to remember that the House of Commons is not the same as the government

  • When comparing the influence of the two Houses, what is being examined is their influence over the Executive, not simply their formal legal powers

The House of Commons: why it is dominant

• Although labelled the ‘lower house’, the House of Commons is the dominant chamber of Parliament

1. Control of money bills

• All money bills must originate in the House of Commons

  • The Parliament Act 1911 prevents the House of Lords from blocking them

• As the elected chamber representing taxpayers, this gives the Commons significant influence over policy and spending

  • Erskine May described this as “the most important power vested in any branch of the legislature”

2. Confidence of government

• The government is drawn from the House of Commons

• The Commons can remove a government through a vote of no confidence

  • This last occurred successfully in 1979, when James Callaghan lost by one vote (311 to 310 votes)

3. Primacy over the House of Lords

• The Commons can ultimately override the Lords using the Parliament Acts

  • The Salisbury Convention limits Lords' opposition to manifesto commitments

• Although the Parliament Acts could, in theory, force legislation through the Lords, they have been used only seven times, most recently in 2004

Limits on the power of the House of Commons

The House of Lords: influence without supremacy

• Although referred to as the ‘upper house’, the House of Lords is not more powerful than the Commons

  • However, it can still be influential

How do they influence?

1. Revision and amendments

• The Lords propose detailed amendments to legislation from the Commons

  • Their expertise often forces the government to compromise, even though amendments can be overturned

2. Expertise and independence

• Many peers are specialists and are not subject to electoral pressure

  • This increases their willingness to challenge government policy

3. Government defeats

• Governments are far more likely to be defeated in the Lords than in the Commons

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

Limits on the power of the House of Lords

Relative powers of the House of Commons and House of Lords

• The House of Commons is legally supreme, but its effectiveness is often limited by executive dominance

• The House of Lords lacks democratic legitimacy but can exercise significant influence through expertise, independence and detailed scrutiny