Labour promised in its manifesto to downsize the House of Lords, which has ballooned over the past two decades. The government has already put forward legislation to remove hereditary peers, which is making its way through parliament. But a manifesto proposal for a mandatory retirement age of 80 now appears in doubt. Combined, these two measures would have halved the size of the upper house.
In five charts, we examine the age and gender profile, education and political affiliation of peers and set out the implications of the proposed changes.
