Political Developments: The House of Lords Flashcards
Which act removed many inherited seats from the House of Lords?
The 1999 House of Lords Act
How many inherited seats were kept in the House of Lords?
92 seats
What was an issue with the choosing of lords?
They were not democratically elected
When had the number of seats in the House of Lords halved by?
2000
What did Blair do with Life Peerages in his first 4 years as PM?
He created more life peearges in his first 4 years as PM than the Conservatives in 18 years
What would possibly be the case if Blair was giving many life peerages?
He would have more House of Lords members supporting him
Name a Labour MP that criticised Blair for his life peerage handing-out
Tony Benn
What did Tony Benn say about Blair giving many life peerages?
It was as if he had taken British politics back 700 years
What bill did Labour put forward in relation to the Lords in November 1998?
A bill making them unable to vote in elections
How many times did the Lord Voting Bill fail to go through from 1998 to 2003?
400 times
What does the failure of the Lord Voting Bill show in relation to Blair giving many life peerages?
It did not impact inclination to support Labour policies
How few of a fraction of the Lords in Blair’s time as Prime Minister supported Labour?
Less than 1/3
