In 2010, reform of the Lords formed a key part of Labour’s election manifesto. There were 679 life peers, who were mostly appointed by political leaders, as well as 25 appointed by the Church of England, and 92 remaining hereditary peers.The proposed reform was to establish a fully-elected 300-seat second chamber, known provisionally as the Senate, which would come into force after the next election, probably in 2014. The constituencies would be roughly the same size as those represented by MEPs, and members, chosen by an open list proportional representation system, would sit for 15 year terms, or the duration of three parliaments.

The Coalition agreement made following the 2010 general election seems to follow in Labour’s footsteps. It outlined a provision for a wholly or mainly elected second chamber, elected by proportional representation. As an interim measure, appointment of new peers will reflect shares of the vote secured by the political parties in the last general election. In November 2010 a number of new working peerages were established, amongst them Downton Abbey and Gosford Park screenwriter Julian Fellowes. This expansion of the Lords does sit at odds with the Tory commitment to cut the cost of politics by pairing back the number of MPs to 600.

Those in favour of reform - including most of the British public - have suggested that a fully-elected Lords would be more representative and would put an end to the sort of cronyism and corruption which the 2009 cash for amendments scandal revealed. But others fear it will lead to a house dominated by party hacks which could challenge the primacy of the Commons.