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Politics
Stephen Clear, Lecturer in Constitutional and Administrative Law, and Public Procurement, Bangor University

How do people get appointed to the House of Lords and can it ever change? The process explained

House of Lords Lords Boris Johnson House of Commons United Kingdom
Lord Pickles eyes up the opposition in the House of Lords. UK Parliament/Flickr, CC BY-NC

The UK’s House of Lords has existed in one form or another since the 11th century, making it one of the oldest political institutions in the world.

However the Lords is an unelected house, which raises questions about what place it can have in a modern democracy. These have flared up with new vigour in the wake of former prime minister Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list, which contained multiple surprises. Among them a peerage for his former special adviser, aged just 29; and for two politicians currently facing allegations of wrongdoing.

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