Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Monday, November 21, 2016

Did you know this was on the agenda?

Surprisingly, at least to those of us in the USA, the current and previous Conservative governments have had troubles with the House of Lords. Aren't the old aristocrats supposed to be conservative? It turns out that some Tories were so upset that they proposed limiting the power of the Lords.

Plans to curb House of Lords powers dropped

The government has decided against a new law to curb the powers of the House of Lords to block legislation.

Former House of Lords leader Lord Strathclyde came up with a proposal to remove peers' veto over laws - called statutory instruments - after a series of government defeats last year.

The government said it now had "no plans" for legislation on the issue.

But it warned peers it could reconsider unless they showed "discipline and self regulation"…

Some Lords in session

In a statement to peers, Baroness Evans, the leader of the House of Lords, said the will of elected MPs should prevail where there was a clash between the House of Commons and the House of Lords over a statutory instrument…

Unlike with regular legislation, there is not currently a mechanism to assert the Commons' primacy on statutory instruments, so the government relies on the "discipline and self regulation that this House imposes on itself", she said.

"Should that break down we would have to reflect on this decision."…