Howridiculous asked me to comment on my introduction to the Lords – what happened, who were my supporters, how long was it before I made my maiden speech?

As I have mentioned before,  there are two parts to becoming a member of the Lords.  First, your peerage takes effect – you become a Lord.  Second, you take your seat in the House.  The gap between the two can be several weeks or even months.   My peerage took effect on 1 August 1998 and I was introduced into the House on 6 October, as soon as the House came back from the summer recess.

The introduction is a relatively short affair.  It used to be much longer, entailing sitting on the back benches and a doffing of hats.  When I came in, the new procedure had been introduced and takes about five minutes, with no hats involved.  (You have a practice run shortly before the House sits, in order to make sure you get it right.)  It is the first order of  business after prayers.  You enter, in your robes, preceded and followed by a ‘supporter’, all of us preceded by Garter King of Arms in his full (and heavy) regalia.   To reflect my interest in Parliament, I chose as my supporters Lord Weatherill (former Speaker of the Commons) and Lord Newton of Braintree (former Leader of the Commons).  We bow individually as we reach the bar of the House, proceed to the Table, where I take the oath and sign the roll.  We then line up behind the Table, bow, and leave the chamber, the new peer shaking the hand of the Speaker on the Woolsack (in those days, the Lord Chancellor).  You are expected to pop back a little later, having taken off your robes, to spend a few minutes sitting on one of the benches.   No more than two peers are introduced on any one day, and the basic purpose of the exercise is to show the new peer to the House, so people can see who you are.

My knowledge of the institution meant that I knew the value of spending time getting to know the chamber, watching what happened, and seeing how peers behaved before making my maiden speech.  I waited until 25 November and spoke during the debate on the Queen’s Speech.  You are expected to take no more than ten minutes and be non-contentious.  I spoke without notes and focused on the constitution. 

Maiden speeches are nerve-wracking affairs.  You are listened to in silence, no one is allowed to move about the chamber, and no one can enter or leave: the Doorkeepers stand at either end of the chamber to make sure that no one comes onto the floor.  All this is meant to be helpful but in fact just adds to the tension.  Once you sit down, the next speaker congratulates you on behalf of the whole House (no other back-benchers are then expected to repeat the congratulations).  Once they have done that, then other peers can leave and come in.  You are then a fully-fledged member of the House.