What are the main powers of the House of Lords?

Question 1

1. Is the Lords more powerful than the Commons?

Answer 1

1. The Lords is less powerful than the Commons, hence why it is called the ‘second chamber’.

Question 2

1. When did the Lords powers start being limited?

Answer 2

1. Since the early 20th century, when the UK became more democratic, its powers became limited both by law and convention.

Question 3

1. What caused the creation of the Parliament Act of 1911.

Answer 3

1. The act came about when the Lords broke with the convention, that they shouldn’t interfere with matters of taxation. This was thanks to the Liberal government’s ‘People’s budget’ of 1909, which imposed new taxes on wealth and land. They rejected the budget and caused a constitutional crisis.

Question 4

1. What did the Parliament Act of 1911, set out in law?

Answer 4

1. The Lords had no right to delay money bills, and its power to veto non-financial bills, was replaced by the power of delay - for two parliamentary sessions.

Question 5

1. How did Clement Attlee’s Labour government use the 1911 act to push through a modification, creating the 1949 parliament act.

Answer 5

1. Attlee’s government was facing opposition from the Lords, to its iron and steel nationalisation bill. To overcome this, they halved the delaying power of the House of Lords, to one year.

Question 6

1a. How did the 1945 Salisbury convention, reduce the power of the Lords even more?
1b. What was this a response to?

Answer 6

1. The House of Lords could not delay or block legislation that was included in the government’s manifesto.
   1b. This was a response to the election of Britain’s first majority Labour government.

Question 7

1. Does the Lords mainly act as a revising chamber?

Answer 7

1. Yes, it proposes amendments to government legislation, which the government can accept or reject.

Question 8

1. For how long can the House of Lords delay non-financial legislation?

Answer 8

1. 1 year

Question 9

1. What is the only scenario in which the House of Lords retains its veto?

Answer 9

1. It can only veto if the government tried to extend the life of parliament beyond its maximum term of 5 years. They can force general elections.