The future of the Lords: students decide

The 16 to 18 year olds – around 200 of them – will be exploring Lords reform in this year’s House of Lords annual debate for young people in the Lords chamber ‘Elect, Select or Reject: the Future of the House of Lords’. Four teams of students, assisted in preparing the arguments by mentor Members of the Lords and social enterprise Debate Mate, will present the options for Lords reform: fully elected; fully appointed; hybrid; or abolition.

The four core teams will move the reform options from the despatch boxes in the Lords chamber. The speaking time for comments from other students will be limited. After the debate, the students will vote on the reform options. Baroness Hayman will oversee proceedings from the woolsack and will announce the results of their vote.

At an event in preparation for the debate, the students sought Baroness Hayman’s advice. Whatever the reform option they should consider how well the House of Lords does its job, how Members can change and improve the way they do their jobs and how best to manage the period between now and any future change in developing their arguments, Baroness Hayman advised.

This Friday the students will have the opportunity to experience parliamentary politics as they debate an issue that Members of the Lords have themselves been discussing for quite some time.

The debate takes place at 3pm on Friday 10 December.

Find out more:

• Lords news: Elect, Select or Reject: the Future of the House of Lords

Further information

BBC Parliament is screening ‘Elect, Select or Reject: the Future of the House of Lords’ on Friday 17 December 4pm and it will be available to watch on iPlayer.

• View photographs from the event in the House of Lords outreach collection on Parliament’s Flickr channel.
• Watch a short film about the event, including vox pops from the audience and speakers, on the House of Lords playlist on the UK Parliament YouTube channel (available on Wednesday 23 December).
• Read a transcript of the debate