Lib Dems plan to force vote on replacing Lords

Lib Dems plan to force vote on replacing Lords with an elected upper chamber

Lib Dems plan to force vote on replacing Lords with elected upper chamber. The party wants to amend government’s bill that would end tradition of hereditary peers to make reforms go further.

Bill to ban Lords from inheriting

The Liberal Democrats will attempt to hijack the UK government’s bill to ban Lords from inheriting their seats in parliament this week in an attempt to force a vote on an entirely elected upper chamber.

The government’s hereditary peers bill, which is heading for its committee stage on Tuesday and is likely to clear the House of Commons the same day. It will put an end to the tradition and ban the the current 92 lords who inherited their titles from sitting in the second chamber. 

It would remove the power of patronage that the prime minister has to recommend new peers, call on the secretary of state to consult on an elected second chamber and commit to bringing forward a draft bill.

What does the House of Lords do?

The House of Lords is the upper chamber and it brings the experience, consistency and expertise to the procedures of governance. It takes more of a difference to the detail of legislation than the House of Commons.

It basically checks the bills before they become laws, that makes the House of Lords is essential to the political system. The role of legislative scrutiny is complemented by that of scrutinising government and public policy. However, it is not partisan and peers are often linked to parties and political personnel.