17-19 July 2024 – this week in the Lords (and some demographic data)

Yes, they’re back, and so, with a new Parliament to look forward to, let’s try again with this column…

A King’s Speech means only one thing, huge amounts of pomp and ceremony whilst seventy-two Liberal Democrat MPs (and Jennie) try to work out where best to get a vantage point for “His Majesty’s Gracious Speech”. Meanwhile, the Lords Chamber will be packed with Peers and their spouses in all of their finery – unfortunately, my tiara is in for cleaning, so I won’t be present. But, after lunch, the robes will be back in storage as the debate on the content of the Speech as well as consideration of “An Address in Reply to His Majesty’s Gracious Speech” begins.

That debate will run over six days, including a Friday session this week, each day focussing on the following:

  • Thursday 18 July: energy, the environment and housing
  • Friday 19 July: education, early years and health care
  • Monday 22 July: economic growth, infrastructure and employment
  • Tuesday 23 July: constitution and devolution
  • Wednesday 24 July: justice and home affairs
  • Thursday 25 July: foreign affairs and defence

One of the proposals expected to appear in the King’s Speech is a mandatory retirement age of eighty for Peers, and the House of Lords Library has produced some data on the likely impact of such a rule which is fascinating.

This emphasises just how many Conservative peers are likely to be there for a very long time, whilst Labour will need to appoint twenty new Peers every year through a five-year Parliament just to end it with as many peers as they started. And, given that they’ll almost certainly want to rebalance the sizes of the various groups to make it easier for them to get their legislation through without delay, you can envisage three things:

  • significant numbers of new Labour Peers into a chamber which is already swollen to beyond capacity and is larger than any equivalent globally
  • no new Conservative Peers until at least 2029
  • less new Liberal Democrat Peers than you might expect

I’m surprised that Labour haven’t given consideration to putting a version of the 2017 Burns proposals onto a statutory footing, which would offer a framework for a long-term solution, reduce the size of the House and offer a test for a more proportional Chamber, but there’s often a tendency to reinvent the wheel…

It will be interesting to see just how enthusiastic the Labour benches are for forcing themselves into retirement…

* Mark Valladares is the Lords correspondent for Liberal Democrat Voice. He doesn’t really have a tiara…

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6 Comments

  • Graham Jeffs 15th Jul '24 - 6:24pm

    In many other areas of life, retrospectively putting in place a mandatory retirement age would be regarded as ageist.

    Clearly some people are more able than others at this age – or any other age – but the messaging that all should be discarded at a specific age, regardless of ability doesn’t smell good.

  • On the list of new MPs onparliamentary website( I think) Tim Farron has a photo which is Nigel Farage or a bad picture of Tim

  • David Langshaw 16th Jul '24 - 9:07am

    Somehow, I suspect that the Labour Party is going to have to quietly bury most ideas for House of Lords reform. With over half of the House of Commons having been elected for the first time, there’s a lack of technical expertise in the mundane matter of parliamentary scrutiny. The lack of a sizeable opposition exacerbates the problem. Over the last 20 years or so the House of Lords has done most of the heavy lifting in scrutinising legislation, and for the next few years they are going to be needed more than ever. Forget the political idealism – consider the mundane practicalities.

  • Matt Wardman 16th Jul '24 - 10:55am

    Over a period of 5 years, that does not to me look too bad.

    I think the more interesting short-term hit will be the removal of Hereditary Peers.

    Were I Mr Starmer, I would announce it, and legislate, now and expect all hereditaries to be gone from Christmas or next Easter, and simultaneously appoint 40-50 new working Labour Life Peers, and maybe a handful of other non-Tories. The Tories have been shovelling their people in for the last several years, so that sounds like a reasonable
    rebalance, and they now have far more Lords than their rump in the Commons.

    That would allow continued reduction in the size of the Lords, and also conveniently kneecap the Tories.

    I don’t see the age as being an issue – aiui Lords are not employees. Are they Office Holders , perhaps? In any case we have specific retirement ages for Judges, and other public roles.

  • David Garlick 16th Jul '24 - 2:16pm

    It is the contribution that a peer makes that should determine whether they remain. Ageism at 80+ remains ageism.

  • Nonconformistradical 16th Jul '24 - 3:56pm

    “Ageism at 80+ remains ageism”
    Seconded!

    Not that far off that age myself but brain still seems to work!

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