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The House of Lords

The unelected upper chamber, the life peers, the bishops and how it can revise but rarely block legislation.

The House of Lords is the upper chamber of the UK Parliament. It has around 800 members, none of them directly elected. Most are life peers, appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. There are also a small number of hereditary peers and 26 senior Church of England bishops known as the Lords Spiritual. Members who do not take a party whip are called crossbenchers.

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The Lords reviews and revises legislation passed by the House of Commons and considers important issues of public policy. It can suggest amendments and delay most bills, but the Commons can usually overturn the Lords' objections (under the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949). The Lords cannot block "money bills" (those concerned with taxation and public spending).

You may be asked roughly how many peers sit in the Lords, who appoints life peers (the monarch on the PM's advice), or what the Lords Spiritual are.

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