ABSTRACT
The first commitment made in relation to the House of Lords by the Labour Party before its election to office in 1997 was to abolish, as a first measure, the voting rights of hereditary peers. Consistent with this proposal is the removal of the right of members of the Royal Family to vote in the House of Lords. The government’s ultimate objective, as stated in its election Manifesto, was to replace the current House of Lords with a new elected second chamber, elected under a system of proportional representation. The elected House, according to the Manifesto, would have the power to delay, for the lifetime of a parliament, changes to ‘designated legislation reducing individual or constitutional rights’. However, as will be seen below, the Labour Party’s plans for reforming the Lords changed significantly once elected to government.
