The article discusses the challenges faced by Labour in passing its legislative agenda in the House of Lords, where the party has struggled to achieve significant defeats for the Conservative government. The author notes that despite having a majority in the Commons, Labour has faced a record number of defeats, with over 110 defeats already recorded during the parliamentary session.
The article highlights the disruption caused by hereditary peers, who have been opposing many of Labour's bills, including the employment rights bill. Labour peers have described the tactics used by the hereditary peers as "dirty tricks," and some have criticized the government for not doing enough to protect departing peers.
In response to these challenges, Labour has begun to explore reform options for the House of Lords, including a retirement age of 80 plus potentially mandating how often peers must be present and engage in parliament. A committee will consider these plans over the next six months.
The article also notes that the disruption caused by the hereditary peers has raised questions about the state of legislation arriving from the Commons. Some have argued that the government should develop frameworks for introducing bills to parliament before they are passed, rather than relying on secondary legislation later on.
Overall, the article suggests that Labour's struggles in the House of Lords highlight the need for reform and more effective ways to manage the legislative process.
The article highlights the disruption caused by hereditary peers, who have been opposing many of Labour's bills, including the employment rights bill. Labour peers have described the tactics used by the hereditary peers as "dirty tricks," and some have criticized the government for not doing enough to protect departing peers.
In response to these challenges, Labour has begun to explore reform options for the House of Lords, including a retirement age of 80 plus potentially mandating how often peers must be present and engage in parliament. A committee will consider these plans over the next six months.
The article also notes that the disruption caused by the hereditary peers has raised questions about the state of legislation arriving from the Commons. Some have argued that the government should develop frameworks for introducing bills to parliament before they are passed, rather than relying on secondary legislation later on.
Overall, the article suggests that Labour's struggles in the House of Lords highlight the need for reform and more effective ways to manage the legislative process.
Can we talk about this? I mean, Labour has a majority in the Commons, but they're still getting trounced by those hereditary peers in the Lords 
It's like, what's the point of even having a majority if you can't get anything done? And don't even get me started on the "dirty tricks" – it's like, come on guys, grow up! 
The whole system needs to change, imo. Maybe they should just scrap the Lords altogether and make it more merit-based? 
. introducing retirement age and making peers attend parliament more often could really help streamline things 
. and yeah, some people are saying we need frameworks for bills to be introduced properly 
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. but hey, at least there's a committee looking into it now 
. fingers crossed they can figure something out soon! 
maybe it's time for us to rethink the whole structure of our parliament system
. Those hereditary peers can be quite pesky, especially with their "dirty tricks" 
. But the bigger picture is that we need better frameworks for introducing bills before they even reach parliament 
. It'd be less of a headache for everyone involved, including the government 
. Maybe this is an opportunity for some real changes?
it's wild how Labour's got a majority in the Commons but still can't get much through in the House of Lords 
I mean, having over 110 defeats already is pretty embarrassing, and hereditary peers just throwing up roadblocks for them isn't fair play. They're like a second chamber with their own agenda, not really representing the will of the people... it's time to shake things up! 
Maybe introducing some sort of retirement age or rules on peer attendance would help level the playing field? And I think it's also worth exploring ways for the government to develop more comprehensive frameworks before bills even hit the Lords. It's like, shouldn't we be working together as a team here? 
like why do we need all these old dudes just sitting there doing nothing lol but at the same time i get that it's hard to get rid of them so maybe setting some kinda retirement age or forcing them to show up more often is the way to go idk
seriously though, can't they just have a debate about it instead of "dirty tricks"? anyway, it's not like Labour has been in power that long they need to figure this out ASAP 
80+ retirement age seems reasonable tho, at least it'd give them some time to catch up on their crossword puzzles 
it's like labour is getting totally stuck in the house of lords 
they're supposed to have a majority but still can't get stuff done 
hereditary peers are being super toxic 
and their tactics are straight up dirty 
some labour peers are even saying that the gov isn't doing enough to protect them 
yeah no kidding lol 
we need real change here 
. And the government is supposed to be helping them out, but really, they're just enabling this problem. I mean, 110 defeats already? That's crazy talk! It's like they want to keep things slow and muddy, just so they can say "we couldn't do anything" when it comes to changing the system 
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. It's like they're not even trying to do their job properly. And the dirty tricks comment from Labour peers? Yeah, that's pretty shady too 
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. I don't think it's too much to ask for some clarity on how legislation is going to make it through the system. It's like, we want our politicians to be working together, not at each other's throats 
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