There was a good debate yesterday on the House of Lords Bill, designed to introduce changes to strengthen the House. There were thirty-five speakers. Given the number, each back-bench speech was limited to six minutes. So effective were members in making their points succinctly that we finished ahead of time. You can read the debate…
For those wishing to see the programme broadcast on BBC Parliament to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Life Peerages Act, you can find it at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00fzc1j/Peers_Progress/ You will see some familiar faces from this blog, including Baroness d’Souza, Lord Tyler and myself. I hasten to add that none of us was in the Lords fifty…
When I first entered the House, it was not unusual for the House to sit late to get through particular pieces of legislation. On occasion I spoke on, or moved, amendments around midnight or even well after. Now the practice is to try to rise by 10.00 p.m. If legislation is being considered, the House will rise…
