reform of the House of Lords

HOUSE OF LORDS: - A HISTORY OF REFORM

The following paper will direct the reader through centuries of reform within the House of Lords. In order to understand the importance of the latest reform proposals, which were presented in a Government White Paper on the 7th November 2001(House of Lords, 2002). It is necessary to have an understanding of why and how this Labour Government intends to complete the reform.

The House of Lords can trace its origins back to the 11th Century, where the kings of England, before the Norman Conquest, called councils of nobles. At this time, its origins were in the Witans. The king would summon Barons, Lords and Bishops to attend what is now known as Parliament, to discuss the kings need to raise money in order to carry out his duty as peacekeeper and defender of the state (Longford, 1988). English monarchs continued to assemble the Barons at intervals until Edward 1 called the first meeting of modern Parliament in 1265. In 1265 Simon De Moutf...