The House of Lords
The nutshell
The House of Lords is the second chamber of Parliament, made up of members who are appointed rather than voted in. It checks new laws and suggests changes, but the elected House of Commons has the final say.
Every fact on this page comes from UK Parliament, the House of Commons Library and other non-partisan sources. Each source tag — like Parl — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
What the House of Lords is
Parliament is where the UK makes its laws. It has two parts, called chambers. The House of Commons is the first chamber, filled with elected MPs. The House of Lords is the second chamber.Parl Its members are called peers.
Who sits in the House of Lords
Members of the House of Lords are not voted in. Most are life peers, appointed for life. A life peer is chosen to sit in the Lords, but the title does not pass to a peer's children. There are also 26 senior bishops of the Church of England. In all, the House has over 800 members, which the Institute for Government says makes it the largest second chamber in the world.IfG
What the House of Lords does
The main job of the House of Lords is to check new laws. Members read a bill closely, debate it, and suggest changes. A bill is a law that has not been passed yet. The House of Commons does not have to accept these changes, but it often does.Parl
Who has the final say
The elected House of Commons has the final say. Under the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949, the House of Lords can delay a bill but cannot block it for good. After a delay of about a year, a bill can become law even if the Lords does not agree.HoC
- The House of Lords has more time to examine the detail of a bill than the busy elected Commons, and often suggests changes
- Many members are appointed for deep knowledge of one subject, such as law, science or medicine
- The elected House of Commons keeps the final say, so the Lords can check a law without overruling MPs
- Members are not elected, so an appointed chamber helps shape laws without a vote from the public
- The House has grown to over 800 members, which is larger than the elected House of Commons
- New members are appointed on the advice of party leaders, which gives the government of the day a say over who joins
The deep end6 min
Two chambers, one Parliament
The UK Parliament has two chambers. The House of Commons is made up of 650 elected MPs. The House of Lords is not elected. The Institute for Government records that the Lords has over 800 members, with most being life peers appointed for life, which makes it the largest upper house in the world.IfG The two chambers share the work of making laws, but the elected Commons holds the greater power.
How the Lords checks a law
A new law starts as a bill. Most bills pass through both chambers. In the House of Lords, members examine a bill line by line and suggest changes, a role UK Parliament describes as revising.Parl The House of Commons can accept or reject each change. UK Parliament states that the Commons has the final say, but often accepts the Lords' suggestions.Parl
Why the Lords cannot block a law for good
The power of the House of Lords is limited by law. The House of Commons Library explains that the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949 let the Lords delay a public bill but not stop it. A bill passed by the Commons in two sessions can become law after a delay of about a year, even without the Lords' agreement.HoC A money bill, which deals with taxes or public spending, cannot be delayed by more than a month.HoC
How the membership has changed
For centuries, some members inherited a seat in the House of Lords. The House of Lords Act 1999 removed more than 600 of these hereditary peers, and 92 kept a seat as a temporary measure, according to GOV.UK.GOV In 2026 a new law ended the right of those last 92 hereditary peers to sit and vote.GOV The House of Lords is now made up of appointed life peers and 26 senior bishops.