The House suffered the loss of another member at the weekend with the death of Lord Maples. He was a former MP and minister and had done notable work for the Conservative Party under David Cameron in helping ensure that the party’s candidate base was considerably widened. He thus contributed to the diversity of the…
The Clerk of the Parliaments, David Beamish, recently gave an Open Lecture – the second organised by the Parliament Outreach Service – on the House of Lords, providing an overview of the House from the perspective of someone who has been in the service of the House since the 1970s and is now the most senior…
I fear that for the past month I have been engaged in a constant process of marking, so had little time to contribute to the blog as often as I would wish. I thought I would catch up with a quiz that focuses on the relationship or links between the Crown and Parliament. As usual, the…
The House of Lords has introduced an electronic newsletter for those who would like to be kept informed of forthcoming business. It is organised not so much on an institutional basis as on subject areas, so you can follow what is happening in, say, environment or education. You can find more details here.
It is now not unsual to see peers in the chamber checking their smartphones. Some now also make use of iPads. Baroness Butler-Sloss used hers instead of paper when delivering a speech recently. During the Second Reading debate yesterday of the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill, Lord Knight of Weymouth was sat on the Opposition Front…
