AT Westminster yesterday, Boris Johnson announced that a public inquiry into the handling of the Covid crisis would begin next spring. Labour opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer had an inquiry: Why? Why wait so long? But, told that there was probably more pandemic palaver to come in winter, and that it would be unwise to weigh down frontline staff with questions, Sir Keir promised that, despite some reservations, his party would be as helpful as it could. The Prime Minister’s updates on Covid are not occasions for too much disunity. It was really only the Nats who introduced a sour note, though Boris took a noticeably less hysterical approach in return, even correcting himself when he said “Scottish Nationalist (sic) Party”.
UK Parliament
Lords debates Queen s Speech
14 May 2021 2021
Following the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday 11 May, the House of Lords gets back to work to debate the content of the Queen s Speech over five days.
House of Lords debate
Research and resources
Read the House of Lords Library briefings on the different subject areas for each day of the debate.
Tuesday 11 May: formal thanks to the Queen
The debate was the first sitting of the House of Lords presided over by the new Lord Speaker, Lord McFall of Alcluith.
<p>Much of the substantial progress made by the House of Lords in reducing its size has been undone by recent appointments, the Lord Speaker's committee on the size of the House has concluded.</p>
A House of Lords committee has called for a legal limit on numbers of new peerages, after Boris Johnson was accused of stuffing the red benches of the Upper House with his cronies. And the cross-party panel said that plans to cut the size of the Lords should be accelerated, including by ending the system of by-elections to replace hereditary peers. Theresa May agreed in 2017 to a voluntary restraint on appointments to the House of Lords, as part.
Highlights from the 2019-21 session in the Lords
Highlights from the 2019-21 session in the Lords
7 May 2021 2021
The 2019-2021 session of Parliament ran from 20 December 2019 to 29 April 2021. The House of Lords met for more than 1,750 hours in the chamber and grand committee, examining 59 bills and asking over 900 questions. It also published more than 200 committee reports.
Making laws
In 2019-21, the House of Lords scrutinised and revised 59 bills, asking government and the House of Commons to think again on issues such as trade with countries accused of genocide, making threats to share intimate images an offence and protecting food standards.
Checking and challenging government action