House of Lords facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable the Lords' Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled |
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Flag of the House of Lords
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Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Lord Speaker
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The Lord McFall of Alcluith
Since 1 May 2021 |
Senior Deputy Speaker
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The Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Since 11 May 2021 |
Leader of the House
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The Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, Conservative
Since 14 July 2016 |
Government Chief Whip
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The Lord Ashton of Hyde, Conservative
Since 26 July 2019 |
Opposition Chief Whip
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The Lord Kennedy of Southwark, Labour
Since 1 June 2021 |
Structure | |
Seats |
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Political groups
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Salary | No annual salary, but tax-free daily allowance and expenses paid. |
Meeting place | |
House of Lords Chamber Palace of Westminster City of Westminster London, England United Kingdom |
The House of Lords, formally The Right Honourable the Lords' Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster located in London, England.
The House of Lords scrutinises bills that have been approved by the House of Commons. It regularly reviews and amends bills from the Commons. While it is unable to prevent bills passing into law, except in certain limited circumstances, it can delay bills and force the Commons to reconsider their decisions. In this capacity, the House of Lords acts as a check on the more powerful House of Commons that is independent from the electoral process. While members of the Lords may also take on roles as government ministers, high-ranking officials such as cabinet ministers are usually drawn from the Commons. The House of Lords does not control the term of the prime minister or of the government. Only the lower house may force the prime minister to resign or call elections.
While the House of Commons has a defined number of members, the number of members in the House of Lords is not fixed. Currently, it has 777 sitting members. The House of Lords is the only upper house of any bicameral parliament in the world to be larger than its lower house, and is the second-largest legislative chamber in the world behind the Chinese National People's Congress.
The Queen's Speech is delivered in the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament. In addition to its role as the upper house, until the establishment of the Supreme Court in 2009, the House of Lords, through the Law Lords, acted as the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom judicial system. The House also has a Church of England role, in that Church Measures must be tabled within the House by the Lords Spiritual.
Crossbenchers
Many members of the House of Lords sit as Crossbenchers. This means they do not support either the government or opposition parties, but instead are independent of party politics. They got their name because the benches where they sit are placed across the aisle which separates the government and opposition supporters.
Images for kids
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Queen Anne addressing the House of Lords, c. 1708–14, by Peter Tillemans
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The rejection of the People's Budget, proposed by David Lloyd George (above), precipitated a political crisis in 1909.
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The House of Lords voting for the Parliament Act 1911
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The House of Lords paid tribute to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 12 April 2021
See also
In Spanish: Cámara de los Lores para niños