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House of Lords Facts & Worksheets

The House of Lords, formerly known as the House of Peers, is the highest legislative body of the United Kingdom's Parliament. Membership is obtained by appointment, heredity, or official duty.

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The House of Lords, formerly known as the House of Peers, is the highest legislative body of the United Kingdom’s Parliament. Membership is obtained by appointment, heredity, or official duty. It meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England, just like the House of Commons.

See the fact file below for more information on the House of Lords, or you can download our 27-page House of Lords worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

  • Today’s Parliament of the United Kingdom mainly descends from the Parliament of England because of the Treaty of Union of 1706 and the Acts of Union that approved the treaty in 1707 and established a new Parliament of Great Britain to replace the Parliaments of England and Scotland. This new parliament effectively continued the Parliament of England with 45 Members of Parliament (MPs) and 16 Peers representing Scotland.
  • The House of Lords evolved from the medieval “Great Council” (Magnum Concilium), which advised the king. This royal council comprised ecclesiastical, noblemen, and county representatives from England and Wales.
  • The House of Lords witnessed many changes during the nineteenth century. The House, which had initially had just approximately 50 members, had been significantly expanded by George III’s and his successors’ generosity in granting peerages.
  • Furthermore, the House of Commons gained authority while the House of Lords lost it. The Reform Act of 1832 was particularly significant in establishing the Lower House’s superiority. The House of Commons electoral system was far from democratic: property criteria severely limited the size of the electorate, and many constituency boundaries had not been modified in years. 
  • Entire cities, such as Manchester, had no representation in the House of Commons, yet in Old Sarum 11 voters kept their traditional entitlement to elect two MPs despite living elsewhere. A small borough was vulnerable to bribery and was frequently in the hands of a patron whose nominee was virtually guaranteed to win an election. 
  • In 1831, the House of Commons enacted a Reform Bill to remedy some of these irregularities, but the House of Lords rejected it. Despite a second bill denial in 1832, the administration did not abandon the prevalent cause of change. 
  • Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, encouraged the King to create approximately 80 new pro-Reform peers to overcome resistance to the bill in the House of Lords. William IV initially refused the suggestion, threatening the House of Lords’ opposition, but eventually yielded.
  • Following the election of a Liberal Government in 1906, the status of the House of Lords was brought back to the forefront of debate. David Lloyd George, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, got the “People’s Budget” into the House of Commons in 1909, proposing a land tax aimed at affluent landowners. The Asquith Government gained the passage of a bill to limit the powers of the House of Lords after another general election in December 1910, and with a hesitant pledge from King George V to create enough new Liberal peers to overcome the Lord’s’ resistance to the legislation if necessary.
  • On the other hand, the Parliament Act of 1911 largely eliminated the House of Lords’ ability to reject legislation or change it in a way that was unpalatable to the House of Commons, and most bills could be postponed for a maximum of three parliamentary terms or two calendar years. 
  • In 2019, a seven-month investigation led by Naomi Ellenbogen QC discovered that one in every five House staff members had suffered bullying or harassment, which they did not report for fear of retaliation. 
  • This was preceded by other incidents, including that of Lord Lester of Herne Hill, a Liberal Democrat, of Lords using their status to sexually harass or abuse women. 
  • The House of Lords may be relocated from London to Northern England, most likely York, or Birmingham, in the Midlands, in an initiative to “reconnect” the area on January 19, 2020. In the case of a transfer, it is unknown how the King’s Address would be delivered. Many classmates reacted unfavorably to the proposal.

FIRST ADMISSION OF WOMEN

  •  No women were in the House of Lords until 1958 after the Life Peerages Act brought a modest number into the chamber. 
  • Irene Curzon, 2nd Baroness Ravensdale, acquired her father’s peerage in 1925 and created a life peer to enable her to sit. With the enactment of the Peerage Act of 1963, another twelve women who had hereditary peerages in their own right were inducted after a battle that dated back to the 1920s in some cases.

NEW LABOUR ERA

  • The Labour Party pledged in its 1997 general election programs to abolish hereditary peerage in the House of Lords. Following their electoral triumph in 1997 under Tony Blair, the conventional House of Lords was abolished.
  • As a first step toward Lord’s reform, the Labour government submitted legislation to remove all hereditary peers from the Upper House. However, as a compromise, it agreed to allow 92 hereditary peers to remain until the reforms were complete. As a result of the House of Lords Act 1999, all but 92 family members were ejected, rendering the House of Lords mostly an appointed house.
  • On the other hand, Jack Straw, the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor introduced a white paper to the House of Commons proposing to replace the House of Lords with an 80-100% elected chamber, with one-third elected at each general election and to serve a term of about 12-15 years.
  • Following the 2010 general election, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat partnership agreed to clearly outline a mechanism for a totally or primarily elected second chamber, elected using proportional representation.

SIZE AND FUNCTIONS

  • The size of the House of Lords has shifted dramatically over time. In 1707’s first Parliament of Great Britain, the English House of Lords, with 168 members, was joined at Westminster by 16 Scottish peers who represented the peerage of Scotland, totaling 184 nobles. In 1801 the initially formed Parliament of the United Kingdom added 28 Irish MPs to represent the peerage of Ireland. 
  • The house continued to grow from roughly 220 peers in the eighteenth century. From over 850 peers in 1951-1952, the number increased further following the Life Peerages Act 1958 and the addition of all Scottish peers and the first female peers in the Peerage Act 1963. 
  • Furthermore, in April 2011, a cross-party group of prominent former politicians, including several senior House of Lords members, urged Prime Minister David Cameron to halt the creation of new peers. Between May 2010 and July 2016, he produced 117 new lords, the fastest pace of elevation in British history; simultaneously, his government attempted (and failed) to shrink the House of Commons by 50, from 650 to 600 MPs.

GOVERNMENT AND MINISTERS

  • A variety of qualifications are required for membership in the House of Lords. No one under 21 may sit in the House of Lords. Furthermore, only nationals of the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Commonwealth are eligible to sit in the House of Lords. 
  • Chief Whips and Leaders
    • The Lord True is the House of Lords’ Leader and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 
    • Earl Howe is the Deputy Leader of the House of Lords. 
    • The Baroness Williams of Trafford is the House of Lords’ Chief Whip and Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms.
    • The Earl of Courtown is the House of Lords’ Deputy Chief Whip and Captain of the King’s Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard.
  • Other Whips (in-waiting Lords and Baronesses)
    • Lord Caine
    • Lord Davies of Gower is a Welsh politician.
    • Lady Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
    • Lord Evans of Rainow
    • Lord Harlech

House of Lords Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the House of Lords across 27 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the House of Lords, formerly known as the House of Peers, is the highest legislative body of the United Kingdom’s Parliament.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. House of Lords Facts 
  2. Role To Fill
  3. Cast Your Vote!
  4. Do You Know?
  5. House Of Lords
  6. More Questions Please
  7. #Milestones
  8. Two-Houses
  9. To Be A Member
  10. What Do You Think?
  11. My Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the House of Lords?

The House of Lords is the upper chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is one of the two houses, the other being the House of Commons. The House of Lords plays a crucial role in reviewing, amending, and proposing legislation.

How is membership in the House of Lords determined?

The House of Lords consists of appointed members, and its composition is not elected. There are three types of members: life peers, bishops of the Church of England (known as Lords Spiritual), and hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister or the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

What is the role of the House of Lords in the legislative process?

The House of Lords acts as a revising chamber, scrutinizing legislation proposed by the House of Commons. It reviews bills, suggests amendments, and provides expertise in specific areas. The House of Lords can propose amendments, delay legislation, or request further consideration by the House of Commons.

How does the House of Lords differ from the House of Commons?

The House of Lords differs from the House of Commons in several ways. Unlike the House of Commons, the House of Lords is not elected. Its members are appointed and include both political and non-political individuals. The House of Lords also has limited powers when it comes to financial matters, as it cannot veto budgetary decisions.

Has there been any recent reform to the House of Lords?

As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, there have been discussions and proposals for reforming the House of Lords, but no major recent changes have been implemented. Various suggestions have been made, including reducing the number of hereditary peers and creating a partially or fully elected chamber. However, any significant reforms would require extensive political consensus and legislative changes.

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Link will appear as House of Lords Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 5, 2023

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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