ABSTRACT
The British Parliament at Westminster is not a legislature renowned for undergoing change. During the twentieth century it underwent sporadic periods of change interspersed by longer periods of institutional inertia or only minimal development. This reflects the fact that in the British political system the executive is drawn from the legislature and the executive normally controls the most politically significant chamber, the House of Commons (the Lower House). Given this, change usually only occurs with the support or at least the acquiescence of government, but the executive is invariably wary of making any precipitate changes that might strengthen the hand of Parliament in the balance of power between executive and legislature. It is seldom in the executive’s interest to initiate fundamental change as it is often controversial, time consuming and reduces the opportunities to legislate in other areas.
