The House of Lords (Edexcel A Level Politics): Revision Note

What is the House of Lords?

• The House of Lords is the unelected second chamber of Parliament, primarily responsible for revising legislation and providing specialist expertise

Membership of the House of Lords

• The House of Lords contains three types of members:

1. Life peers

• Life peers are appointed for life due to public service or expertise

• They were created under the Life Peerages Act 1958

• They now make up the majority of the House

  • Examples include Baroness Hale and David Cameron

2. Hereditary peers

• Hereditary peers inherit their title

  • After the House of Lords Act 1999, only 92 hereditary peers remain

• They are elected internally using alternative vote

  • Internal elections were paused in 2024 due to proposed legislation to remove hereditary peers permanently

• Peers may be party-affiliated or sit as crossbenchers, meaning they are independent of political parties

3. Lords Spiritual

• These are 26 senior bishops of the Church of England

Functions of the House of Lords

1. Legislation revision and amendment

• Proposes detailed amendments to legislation from the Commons

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

• While the Commons can overturn amendments, Lords’ expertise often leads to compromise

2. Specialist committees

• Conduct detailed investigations and inquiries

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

3. Former judicial role

• Until 2009, the House of Lords acted as the final court of appeal

  • This role ended with the creation of the UK Supreme Court