This House of Lords Library Briefing contains a brief history of life peerages, as well as an exploration of appointing Peers outside of the Life Peerages Act 1958.
Life Peerage Creations: Powers of the Crown (143 KB , PDF)
The Lord Speaker’s committee on the size of the House’s report, Report of the Lord Speaker’s committee on the Size of the House (31 October 2017), commented on advice it received contending that the Monarch is empowered to appoint life Peers outside of the Life Peerages Act 1958, and that Peers appointed in this way would not be entitled to a seat in the House of Lords. Accordingly, the committee encouraged the Government to pursue this option in tandem with their main proposals. This Briefing further explores this option by considering the background to the appointment of life Peers; the Wensleydale Peerage case which challenged the Crown’s authority to create life Peers; and ways in which the Crown may honour individuals to be addressed as Lord or Lady, without sitting and voting rights in the House of Lords outside of the Life Peerages Act 1958.
Life Peerage Creations: Powers of the Crown (143 KB , PDF)
The prime minister’s trade envoys are a network of parliamentarians appointed to engage with countries where the UK government has identified trade and investment opportunities. There were 35 trade envoys covering 58 markets as of 16 May 2024. The government has said trade envoys support the UK’s economic growth by promoting trade in key markets. However, some parliamentarians have sought clarity on aspects of the trade envoy programme.
This page provides interactive data on the creation of peerages in the House of Lords.
The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 13 May 2024. The bill seeks to fulfil the commitment made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 10 January 2023 to quash the convictions of those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal. It would extend and apply to England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. Its provisions would come into force at royal assent. During committee stage the bill was extended to Northern Ireland. There have also been calls for it to be extended to Scotland. The bill has received cross-party support but is controversial as the quashing of convictions by Parliament is unprecedented. In addition, concerns about the scope of the bill have been raised. The bill would not include individuals whose convictions were previously upheld by the Court of Appeal.
