The House of Lords Reform: Labour’s Constitutional Holy Grail?

At first glance, the Labour Party, given its founding doctrine, could only be resolutely opposed to the House of Lords. However, the experience of government and the specific features of the British Constitution and political culture have led it to adopt more tempered ambitions. This gave rise to a tension between initial intentions and realpolitik, which divided the party. Reforming the aristocratic component of the United Kingdom’s mixed Constitution has been a constant feature of Labour’s manifestos, but it has only resulted in reforms that align with the strategies of the Liberals and Conservatives in gradually evolving the powers and composition of the House of Lords. The 2025 reform definitively ending hereditary peerage serves as yet another illustration of this trend.