Our webinar: How to reform the House of Lords?
By Matthew Dreysler, Intern at Unlock Democracy
This month, Unlock Democracy hosted a lively and insightful webinar exploring the future of the House of Lords. The discussion featured Hardeep Matharu, Editor-in-Chief of Byline Times, in conversation with Dr. Robert Saunders, historian of British democracy at Queen Mary University of London.
The event offered a deep dive into how the Lords operates today, the long and often messy history of its reform, and the key challenges facing any effort to modernise the UK's second chamber. The speakers were united in questioning the sustainability of the Lords as it stands and expressing support for reform.
Current Role of the House of Lords
Dr. Saunders opened by outlining how the Lords operates today. While unelected, the Lords is an active part of the legislative process, serving as what he described as a "revising chamber." . Today the chamber includes over 700 appointed life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 23 bishops. The Lords cannot veto legislation or alter taxation, but they play a vital role in scrutinising and improving rushed or poorly drafted bills. “Most of the serious business of making legislation work happens in the House of Lords,” Saunders said.
Strengths and weaknesses
One of the key themes of the discussion was the tension between the institutional strengths of the Lords and its democratic weaknesses.
Matharu and Saunders highlighted the quality of debate and the depth of subject knowledge among many peers. Members include scientists, diplomats, lawyers and campaigners who bring specialist knowledge to complex legislation. The lighter touch of the whips in the Lords, combined with the lack of a government majority, allows for more thoughtful debate than is often seen in the Commons.
However, the speakers were also clear about its shortcomings. The Lords lacks democratic legitimacy, and recent scandals over appointments have fuelled public distrust. Dr. Saunders warned "There is a strong whiff of corruption, frankly, about the appointments process," he said, referring to controversies over peerages, most recently during Boris Johnson’s time in office. He went on to point out that only 12% of the public supports the current method of appointing peers, deepening the public’s sense of disconnect with the House of Lords.
Reform: A slow and unfinished journey
The webinar traced the history of Lords reform, from the 1911 Parliament Act to the 1999 removal of most hereditary peers. Labour’s current proposal to remove the remaining 92 hereditary seats was discussed as a small but symbolically important step. As Dr. Saunders noted, this issue has been "unfinished business" for over two decades. The original compromise which retained some hereditaries, negotiated by Tony Blair to avoid the parliamentary equivalent of trench warfare, meant that "As long as the 92 hereditaries were still in the house, you could not say that Lords’ reform was finished."
More ambitious reform proposals were also examined, including former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s vision of a Senate of the Nations and Regions.
Where next?
Looking forward, both speakers agreed that reform cannot happen in isolation. "What do we actually want it to do?" Dr. Saunders asked. He argued that if the goal is to retain the Lords as a revising chamber, it might make sense to keep it appointed and expertise-driven. But if the aim is to give it a stronger role in checking government power or balancing the dominance of the Commons, a democratic mandate may be essential.
Any reform of the Lords must also consider wider questions. These include how the Commons is elected, how to ensure representation for minority voices, and how to restore trust in political institutions.
As Matharu put it, "You cannot really look at one without the other; It is a feedback loop." She went on to highlight that changes to one part of the system, such as reforming the Lords, inevitably raise questions about how the rest of the political structure functions.
Final thoughts
The webinar closed with a focus on public trust. Dr. Saunders warned that the UK is experiencing a "catastrophic crisis of trust in public institutions". He also pointed out that if a new political force such as Reform UK gains power but has no representation in the Lords, the chamber’s legitimacy could be called into question once again.
As Matharu noted in her closing comments, this conversation is not just about tradition or procedure. It is about the future of British democracy and whether the public feels genuinely represented in the law-making process.
For those who missed it, the full video is available to watch online. We encourage everyone to leave a comment and join the conversation.