The most searched questions about the House of Lords — answered with data.
Why does the House of Lords still exist?
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The House of Lords is the upper chamber of the UK Parliament, responsible for scrutinising and revising legislation passed by the House of Commons. It exists as an unelected body because no consensus has been reached on what an elected second chamber would look like or how it would relate to the Commons. The Lords can amend bills and delay non-manifesto legislation for up to a year under the Parliament Acts, but cannot ultimately block bills the elected Commons insists upon.
What did removing hereditary peers mean?
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The 1999 House of Lords Act removed most hereditary peers — those who held their titles by birth — from the Lords, reducing the chamber from over 750 hereditary members to just 92 elected by their fellow hereditaries as a transitional arrangement. The 2025 Lords Reform Act removed these final 92, ending the principle that inherited titles automatically confer parliamentary membership. The chamber now consists solely of life peers (appointed), Lords Spiritual (senior Church of England bishops), and law lords.
How many Lords are there?
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As of May 2026 the House of Lords has 791 members, making it one of the largest legislative assemblies in the world. Labour promised to reduce this number but net appointments in 2025 added 12 new members. Critics point out that Prime Ministers continue to use life peerages as political patronage — rewarding donors, retiring politicians, and party loyalists — making reduction difficult without statutory limits on appointments.
What is the Lords' constitutional role?
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The Lords acts as a revising chamber — scrutinising government bills in detail, proposing amendments, and debating constitutional questions. Under the Salisbury Convention, the Lords does not block legislation in the government's manifesto. However the Lords can and does amend bills to introduce important safeguards — particularly on civil liberties, secondary legislation powers, and constitutional matters. In 2025-26 the Lords introduced 3 successful amendments to major legislation.
How much does the House of Lords cost?
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The House of Lords costs approximately £240m per year to run in 2026/27, including staff costs, member allowances, IT, security, and building maintenance. Lords do not receive a salary but may claim daily attendance allowances of £361 per sitting day. The Lords' total annual cost works out to approximately £300,000 per sitting member, though average per-session cost per member is lower as many Lords attend infrequently.