King's Speech 2024: Constitution
Research briefing setting out the government’s commitments covering the constitution, including House of Lords reform, for the House of Lords debate on the 2024 King’s Speech.
Labour’s manifesto said reform of the House of Lords was “long overdue”. It set out plans for “immediate modernisation”, including the removal of hereditary peers’ right to sit and vote and the introduction of a mandatory retirement age. In the longer term, Labour pledged to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber.
The Labour manifesto also emphasised the importance of standards, promising to ensure all peers “meet the high standards expected of them”, establish a new Integrity and Ethics Commission, review the business appointment rules and establish a Modernisation Committee in the House of Commons looking at standards, working practices and MPs’ second jobs.
Labour has all pledged to lower the voting age to 16 in all elections, to improve voter registration and to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties.
The Library’s briefings for the King’s Speech draw on the Labour Party’s manifesto and other material in the public domain. They have been written in advance of the 2024 King’s Speech to help members of the House of Lords prepare for the debate on the speech. They do not constitute official information about the government’s intentions or provide a complete list of bills to be announced.