How does the House of Lords relate to Parliament and government?
The House of Lords is often referred to as the ‘Upper House’ or ‘Second Chamber’. Both these terms illustrate that the Lords is one of two parts of the UK Parliament. The political party which wins the most seats/places in a general election forms the Government. The Government runs the country and is formed from the political party that wins most seats in the House of Commons in a general election. The Government formulates policy and introduces legislation in Parliament. Most senior members of the Government are members of the House of Commons but there are ministers, along with two Cabinet members, in the House of Lords. The House of Lords also contains many Members of Parliament who were in previous governments.
