How does the House of Lords work and what do its critics say about it?

The ex-prime minister is by no means the first peer to be in the Cabinet but the practice is unusual
Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton at the House of Lords
PA Wire
William Mata14 November 2023
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David Cameron has attended his first Cabinet meeting as a newly minted lord since being appointed foreign secretary by Rishi Sunak

“A warm welcome to those for whom it is their first Cabinet and also a welcome to those for whom it may not be their first time,” the prime minister told his new frontbench team.

But parliamentary rules mean that while such a return is uncommon there is no reason why it should not happen. Here is how it works. 

How does the House of Lords work?

The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament. It is made up of around 800 peers.

It is independent from, and complements the work of, the elected House of Commons. The Lords shares the task of making and shaping laws, and checking and challenging the work of the Government.

The Lords has three main roles:

  • Making laws
  • In-depth consideration of public policy
  • Holding government to account

Why has the House of Lords been criticised?

Accusations of corruption and cronyism have blighted the Conservative Party for years. Last year, the Tories were accused of abusing the honours system by offering seats in the House of Lords to multimillionaire donors who would pay more than £3 million to the party.

An investigation by the Sunday Times and Open Democracy revealed that wealthy benefactors appeared to be guaranteed a peerage if they took on the temporary role as the party treasurer and increased their own donations beyond £3 million.

David Cameron was also accused of cronyism when he nominated almost 50 close aides, political allies and Conservative donors for honours as part of his resignation honours list.

In 2006, Tony Blair became the first prime minister to be questioned by police as part of a political corruption inquiry that would drag on for 16 months.

An investigation was launched after SNP MP Angus MacNeil complained that four wealthy businessmen were nominated by Blair for peerages after lending the party a total of £5m.

All four of the peerages were blocked by the House of Lords’ appointments commission, and MacNeil’s complaint launched a police investigation into whether laws banning the sale of honours had been broken.

What is the Salisbury Convention?

The Salisbury Convention is commonly understood to mean the House of Lords does not block government bills that seek to implement manifesto commitments. This means the Lords gives manifesto bills a second reading, does not subject them to wrecking amendments, and returns them to the Commons in reasonable time.

It was developed during the Labour government of 1945 to 1951.

At that time, Labour had a majority in the House of Commons but the Conservatives had a majority in the House of Lords. In his response to the King’s Speech of 1945, Viscount Cranborne argued the election result gave the Labour government a mandate for the proposals on which the electorate had voted. He said it would therefore be “constitutionally wrong” for the Lords to oppose their proposals.

He later recalled that, during this period, the opposition in the Lords passed Labour’s manifesto bills at second reading “although we cordially disliked them” and did its best to “improve them and make them more workable at committee stage”.

Could the House of Lords be abolished?

Last year, Keir Starmer set out plans to abolish the “indefensible” House of Lords and replace it with a new elected chamber as part of plans to “restore trust in politics”.

The Labour leader has not committed to a timeframe for the move but has said it would happen “as quickly as possible” and ideally within the first term of a Labour government.

The sweeping constitutional overhaul is part of a 40-point plan written by former prime minister Gordon Brown for a “New Britain” under the Labour Party.

South Korean President state visit to the UK
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly
PA

How did David Cameron become a Cabinet minister when he is not an MP? 

David Cameron was immediately made a life peer, meaning he becomes a member of the House of Lords but with a title that cannot be inherited. 

These peers are nominated by the prime minister and the custom was introduced in 1958, before which there were only hereditary peers. 

While having cabinet ministers in the Lords is unusual, Zac Goldsmith was a Cabinet minister as a lord earlier this year before resigning, while Nicky Morgan briefly served from the Lords under Boris Johnson.

Usually there is just one member of the upper house in Cabinet meetings, which is the leader of the House of Lords, a role currently held by Lord True. 

How do Lords get their titles?

Members of the House of Lords have different titles that depend on the type of peer they are. The full list is: Lord Speaker, Baron, Baroness, Duke, Earl, Lady, Marquess, Viscount, Archbishop and Bishop. The House of Lords has its own guide explaining to how to address them.

The titles relate to whether they are a life peer, peer or leader in the Church of England.

In becoming a lord people can play a role in deciding their title. "When you are made a peer you get to choose your name," Parliament says, "Like Lord Singh of Wimbledon. What you choose is up to you providing it hasn't been taken."

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