First-born daughters should be allowed to inherit peerages, says former Tory MP
First-born daughters should be allowed to inherit peerages from their fathers, a former Conservative minister has declared, adding she “cannot rest until this posh glass ceiling is…
The House of Lords is beyond wokeification
Oh, to be a fly on the wall as my noble and learned friends at the House of Lords reconvene after the Easter break next Monday. The…
House of Lords staff told to avoid ‘offensive’ terms such as ‘manpower’
House of Lords staff have been told to avoid using “offensive” terms such as “man-made” or “manpower”. The Lords has produced an “Inclusive Language Guide” with words…
Labour peer Lord Pendry faces suspension for bullying security guard
A Labour peer is facing suspension after a conduct committee ruling that he bullied a security guard. Lord Pendry, a former Treasury minister who was a Labour…
Joe Lycett’s debut brought comedy – but no errors – to the House of Lords
Lycett convulsed his listeners, recounting how he had set up fake social media profiles for Ross McEwan, the then CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland, after…
Parliament isn’t interested in assisted suicide
Last week saw yet another attempt to legalise assisted suicide. The Health and Care Bill, going through its final stages in the House of Lords, was ambushed…
Parliament restoration could take 76 years if MPs don’t go elsewhere
Keeping MPs at Westminster while Parliament is refurbished would mean the work could take up to 76 years, an official report has found. An initial assessment of…
Why we must keep the Vagrancy Act
A flailing Government looking to re-boot should be wary of strangers peddling virtue and short sighted gestures which seemingly solve long standing problems. Most issues are hard…
Lord Coe quits Lords after taking up job at firm vying to run UK lottery
It has already enlisted Sir Keith Mills, chairman of the Nectar and Air Miles loyalty schemes, as chairman of the bid vehicle Allwyn. A source close to…
Our problems stem from a useless civil service, but we prefer to blame ministers
This week, the normally staid House of Lords witnessed a rare moment of drama. Lord Agnew, an entrepreneur serving as an unpaid minister at the Cabinet Office…
We will not be silenced, vow peers who were labelled ‘bigots’ for speaking out over trans prisoners
The complaint came after Lord Blencathra proposed an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that violent and sexual offenders should be housed in prison…
Road protests must be punished by law
The defeats inflicted on the Police Bill in the House of Lords were not so much a setback for the legislation as its complete evisceration. Into the…
The secrets of running the real Downton Abbey
Today’s custodians live in a modest house a few feet from Highclere’s back door, but stay in the castle frequently. It’s a big house, with around 300…