Research Briefing

2 September 2025

By Richard Kelly
Ministers in the House of Lords

Summary
1 Ministerial appointments: background
2 Ministers in the Lords: lists and statistics
3 ‘Outsider’ ministers
4 Accountability of Cabinet ministers in the Lords

commonslibrary.parliament.uk
Number CBP5226 Ministers in the House of Lords

Image Credits
CRI-1767 by UK Parliament/Mark Crick image. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 /
image cropped.

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2 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

Contents

Summary 4

1 Ministerial appointments: background 7

2 Ministers in the Lords: lists and statistics 8

2.1 Ministers in the House of Lords since 1979: statistics 8

2.2 Cabinet Ministers in the House of Lords since 1979 9
2.3 Should there be any Cabinet ministers in the House of Lords? 11
2.4 Historical information 11

3 ‘Outsider’ ministers 13

3.1 Gordon Brown’s ‘government of all the talents’ 13

3.2 ‘Outsider’ ministers in other administrations 15

4 Accountability of Cabinet ministers in the Lords 20

4.1 House of Commons 20

2023–24 Procedure Committee inquiry 21
Commons scrutiny of members of the House of Lords: 2008 to 2010
inquiries 25
4.2 House of Lords 27

3 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

Summary

In theory a government minister does not have to be a member of either

House of Parliament. In practice, however, the convention is that ministers
must be members of either the House of Commons or House of Lords in order
to be accountable to Parliament. From time to time, Prime Ministers appoint
non-parliamentarians as ministers. In recent years such ministers have been
appointed to the House of Lords.

Ministers in the House of Lords

When Keir Starmer became Prime Minister, in July 2024, the Leader of the
House of Lords, Baroness Smith of Basildon, was the only Cabinet minister in
the House of Lords. Keir Starmer appointed Richard Hermer KC as Attorney
General, and he joined the House of Lords as Lord Hermer.

In the period to 10 October 2024, Keir Starmer appointed a further six people
from outside Parliament as ministers. All were given life peerages. At that
point, 28 out of 120 ministers (23%) were members of the House of Lords.

When Rishi Sunak first became Prime Minister, in October 2022, the Leader of
the House of Lords was the only Cabinet minister in the House of Lords. In
November 2023, David Cameron was appointed to the Cabinet and joined the
House of Lords as Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton.

Elizabeth Truss, Prime Minister from 6 September 2022 to 25 October 2022,

appointed Lord True as Leader of the House of Lords. She did not appoint any
other members of the House of Lords to her Cabinet.

In Boris Johnson’s December 2019 administration, there were two Cabinet

ministers in the House of Lords (the Leader of the House of Lords and the
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport). In all, 24 out of the
total 116 ministers in government (21%) were members of the House of Lords.
Later in his administration, he appointed Lord Frost, a Minister of State, to the
Cabinet.

In Theresa May’s June 2017 administration, the Leader of the House of Lords
was the only Cabinet minister in the House of Lords; 25 out of the total 118
ministers in government (21%) were members of the House of Lords. This
compares to 23% at the start of the 2015 Cameron administration and 20% at
the start of the 2010 coalition government.

Concerns were raised about ministerial appointments to the House of Lords

whilst Gordon Brown was Prime Minister. Gordon Brown had announced his

4 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

intention to create a ‘government of all the talents’. He appointed two

departmental secretaries of state from the House of Lords, raising some
questions about the accountability of such ministers to the elected House. He
also appointed a number of ministers directly to the House of Lords; a
practice that has also occurred under other recent Prime Ministers.

Concerns were expressed again in December 2019 when, following the

general election, Boris Johnson announced that Nicky Morgan, who had stood
down from the House of Commons, would continue to serve as Secretary of
State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as a Cabinet minister in the House
of Lords. She served as Secretary of State until February 2020.

Commons scrutiny of Lords ministers

Following the announcement that Lord Cameron was to be Foreign Secretary,
the Speaker of the House of Commons asked officials for advice on ways of
enhancing scrutiny of the work of a Foreign Secretary who was a member of
the House of Lords.

On 22 November 2023, the Speaker wrote to the Procedure Committee

requesting a short inquiry “examining the options for enhanced scrutiny by
this House of senior ministers based in the Lords” (PDF).

The Procedure Committee considered how secretaries of state in the House of

Lords could be more accountable to MPs; where such scrutiny should take
place; and the form and frequency of the scrutiny.

In its report, Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords

(PDF), published on 24 January 2024, the committee proposed scrutiny should
take place in the Commons Chamber so that all MPs could participate. It also
proposed that the Secretary of State should appear at departmental
questions and for statements and urgent questions when it would be normal
for a Secretary of State to appear. However, because it wanted to avoid
unintended consequences, it said its recommendations were time-limited,
addressed the current situation and should not set a precedent.

The Procedure Committee published the government’s response on 17 April

2024. In a press notice, announcing the publication of the government’s
response, the committee said that the government had “rejected” the
proposal that scrutiny of secretaries of state in the Lords should happen in
the Commons Chamber.
In a select committee statement on 18 April 2024, Dame Karen Bradley, then
chair of the Procedure Committee, said it was “with regret” that she informed
the House that the government had rejected the committee’s proposals.

In the 2009–10 parliamentary session, the Procedure Committee had

considered how the House of Commons could scrutinise government ministers

5 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

in the Lords, after Gordon Brown had appointed Cabinet ministers from the
Lords.

House of Lords procedures for questioning

cabinet ministers
In response to Gordon Brown’s appointment of secretaries of state to the
House of Lords, the Lords introduced additional oral questions. Generally,
members of the House of Lords ask questions of the government. In late 2009,
it was agreed that once a month time would be set aside for oral questions to
any Secretary of State sitting in the Lords. This procedure was revived in
January 2020, when Baroness Morgan of Cotes answered questions on 23
January.

The procedure for oral questions to secretaries of state in the House of Lords
was reviewed by the Lords Procedure and Privileges Committee in November
2023. It recommended changing the day, from Thursday to Tuesday;
increasing the number of balloted questions, from three to four; and
extending the time allowed from 30 to 40 minutes.

The House of Lords agreed to the proposals on 28 November 2023 and Lord
Cameron of Chipping Norton answered Secretary of State’s Questions for the
first time on 5 December 2023.

6 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

 Ministers in the House of Lords

1 Ministerial appointments: background

In theory there is no requirement for a minister to be a member of either

House of Parliament. However, in practice, for parliamentary scrutiny and
accountability to work, ministers must have a seat in either chamber.
Because the House of Lords is a predominantly appointed chamber, it is
possible for ministers to be directly appointed to the second chamber.

There are some legal limits on ministerial appointments. The House of

Commons Disqualification Act 1975 provides that not more than 95 holders of
ministerial offices may sit and vote in the House of Commons at any one time. 1
There are also statutory limits on the total number of paid ministers that can
be appointed, set out in Schedule I, Part V of the Ministerial and other Salaries
Act 1975, as amended. 2 The limit on paid ministers is 109. The full details are
set out in the Commons Library Briefing Paper, Limitations on the Number of
Ministers.

1
House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 (chapter 24), section 2
2
Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 (chapter 27), section 1 and Schedule 1

7 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

 Ministers in the House of Lords

2 Ministers in the Lords: lists and

statistics

2.1 Ministers in the House of Lords since 1979:

statistics

The table below sets out the number of Ministers in the House of Lords and
House of Commons at the start of each Parliament since 1979.

In Keir Starmer’s administration (including appointments up to 10 October

2024), the Leader of the House of Lords was the single Cabinet minister in the
House of Lords. In addition, Richard Hermer was made a peer and appointed
Attorney General. He attends Cabinet. In all, 28 out of the total of 120
ministers in government (23%) were in the House of Lords.

This compares with 21% in Boris Johnson’s December 2019 administration;

21% following the June 2017 general election; 23% at the start of the 2015
Cameron administration; and 20% at the start of the 2010 coalition
government.

Ministers by Chamber since 1979

1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024
1
Cabinet Ministers (Total) 22 21 21 22 22 23 23 23 22 23 23 22
MPs 19 18 18 20 20 21 21 21 21 22 21 21
Peers 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 1
2
Non-Cabinet Ministers (Total) 33 33 31 32 34 31 30 32 36 35 34 34
MPs 25 26 25 26 27 25 25 28 28 28 27 23
Peers 8 7 6 6 7 6 5 4 8 7 7 11

Junior Ministers (Total) 31 29 32 33 34 35 37 38 35 37 40 38

MPs 28 25 27 25 27 27 29 29 25 28 31 33
Peers 3 4 5 8 7 8 8 9 10 9 9 5

Whips (Total) 20 20 20 20 22 22 23 25 25 23 19 26
MPs3 13 13 13 13 15 15 15 16 17 15 13 15
Peers 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 9 8 8 6 11

TOTAL IN GOVERNMENT POSTS 106 103 104 107 112 111 113 118 118 118 116 120
MPs 85 82 83 84 89 88 90 94 91 93 92 92
Peers 21 21 21 23 23 23 23 24 27 25 24 28

Peers as % of total 20% 20% 20% 21% 21% 21% 20% 20% 23% 21% 21% 23%

Notes: 1 This includes some occasions where the Conservative Party Chairman was a member of the Cabinet but paid
by the party not the government; 2 This figure includes law offices; 3 The Chief Whip (Parliamentary Secretary to the
Treasury) is normally listed with non-Cabinet ministers except in 2001 and 2005 when the postholder was in the
Cabinet. Sources: Dod's Parliamentary Companion, 1980, 1988, 1993,1998, 2002, 2006, 2011; Hansard lists of HM
Government; House of Commons Parliamentary Facts and Figures

8 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

 Ministers in the House of Lords

2.2 Cabinet Ministers in the House of Lords since

1979

The list overleaf sets out Cabinet ministers in the House of Lords since 1979. It
does not include

– Lord Chancellors (from modern times until the Constitutional Reform

Act 2005 the holder of this post was a peer)
– Leaders of the House of Lords
– law officers, who often attend Cabinet, but are not always Cabinet
ministers

It includes those who held the post of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
(even if they were the Leader of the House of Lords) and Minister without
Portfolio.

Keir Starmer’s 2024 government does not have Cabinet ministers in the House
of Lords, other than the Leader of the House of Lords. Keir Starmer appointed
Richard Hermer KC as Attorney General, and he joined the House of Lords as
Lord Hermer. He is not a Cabinet minister but attends Cabinet.

Rishi Sunak’s 2022 government had one Cabinet minister in the House of Lords
(other than the Leader of the Lords): Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton served
as Foreign Secretary from November 2023 to July 2024.

Elizabeth Truss’s 2022 government did not have Cabinet ministers in the
House of Lords, other than the Leader of the House of Lords.

On two separate occasions, Boris Johnson appointed a second Cabinet

minister in the House of Lords. Baroness Morgan of Cotes continued as
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport after leaving the
House of Commons at the 2019 general election. She left the government in
February 2020. Lord Frost was not the head of a department of state but was
appointed to Cabinet, in March 2021. He resigned from the government in
December 2021.

David Cameron’s 2015 government did not include any Cabinet ministers in
the Lords, other than the Leader of the Lords. Neither did Theresa May’s
governments of 2016 or 2017.

Until September 2012, the coalition government included one Cabinet

minister, other than the Leader of the Lords, in the House of Lords: the
Minister without Portfolio, Baroness Warsi.

Under Gordon Brown there were two departmental secretaries of state of in

the House of Lords: the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for
Business, Innovation and Skills (Lord Mandelson) (October 2008 to May 2010)
and the Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis) (June 2009 to May
2010).

9 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

Under Tony Blair, for the months of June to October 2003 there were two
departmental secretaries of state in the second chamber at the same time:
the Secretary of State for International Development (Baroness Amos) and the
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Lord
Falconer). Lord Falconer held the post first of Lord Chancellor and Secretary
of State for Constitutional Affairs (June 2003 to May 2007) then Lord
Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (May to June 2007). Baroness
Amos served as International Development Secretary from May to October
2003.

Cabinet Ministers in the House of Lords since 1979

(not including Lord Chancellors or Leaders of the House of Lords)

Margaret Thatcher’s government 1979-1991

Lord Carrington Foreign Secretary May 1979 – Apr 1982
Baroness Young* Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oct 1981 – April 1982
Lord Cockfield Trade Secretary Apr 1982 – June 1983
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster June 1983 – Sept 1984
Earl of Gowrie Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Sept 1984 – Sept 1985
Lord Young of Graffham Minister without Portfolio Sept 1984 – Sept 1985
Employment Secretary Sept 1985 – June 1987
Trade and Industry Secretary June 1987 – July 1989
John Major’s government 1991-1997
None
Tony Blair’s government 1997-2007
Baroness Amos International Development Secretary May – Oct 2003
Lord Falconer Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for June 2003-May 2007
Constitutional Affairs (note: from the passing of
the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 the Lord
Chancellor no longer had to sit in the House of
Lords)
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice May – June 2007
Gordon Brown’s government 2007-2010
Lord Mandelson First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Oct 2008 – May 2010
Business, Innovation and Skills
Lord Adonis Transport Secretary June 2009 – May 2010
The coalition government 2010-2015
Baroness Warsi Minister without Portfolio May 2010 – Sept 2012
David Cameron's 2015-2016 government
None
Theresa May's 2016 and 2017 governments
None
Boris Johnson's July 2019 and December 2019 governments
Baroness Morgan of Cotes Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Dec 2019 – Feb 2020
Sport
Lord Frost Minister of State, Cabinet Office March – Dec 2021

Elizabeth Truss's 2022 government

None

Rishi Sunak's 2022 government

Lord Cameron of Chipping Foreign Secretary Nov 2023 – Jul 2024
Norton
Keir Starmer's 2024 government
None

Note: * Lady Young was also Leader of the House of Lords at the same time. Sources: Members.parliament.uk, David
Butler and Gareth Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts, 2000 and Parliamentary Facts and Figures,
Ministers in the 2010-15 Coalition Government (SN06544) and Ministers in the Conservative Governments: 2015, 2017
and 2019 Parliaments (CBP07335)

10 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

 Ministers in the House of Lords

2.3 Should there be any Cabinet ministers in the

House of Lords?

Following a ministerial reshuffle in 2014, Baroness Stowell of Beeston was

appointed Leader of the House of Lords but not a Cabinet minister.

The Lords Constitution Committee reported “widespread concern … about the

status of the Leader of the House”. 3

The committee quoted from a letter from the Prime Minister, agreeing that the
Leader of the House should be a Cabinet minister:

[The Prime Minister] agreed “that the Leader of the House should, as a general
rule, always be a full member of the Cabinet; unfortunately it was not possible
on this occasion, owing to the provisions of the Ministerial and other Salaries
Act 1975. I want to reassure you, and the whole House, that I see the current
situation as a purely temporary one, which I will want to rectify at the earliest
opportunity. I will certainly do so immediately after the General Election, if I
am returned as Prime Minister, if no opportunity has arisen to do so over the
coming nine months.” He said that Lady Stowell would have the same role in
Cabinet as her predecessors and that she would attend the same meetings in
Downing Street. 4

The Constitution Committee reviewed literature that described the Leader of

the House of Lords as a Cabinet minister. It made no recommendations but
noted:

… the Prime Minister’s assurance that the current position is temporary and
will be rectified at the first opportunity. Were it desired to prevent a repeat of
this situation, that may be achieved in law through an amendment to the
Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975. For example, the Act could be amended
to provide that one of the 21 salaries for Cabinet ministers must be paid to a
member of the House of Lords or to provide that the Leader of the House of
Lords must be among the 21, or in either case to increase the number to 22. 5

Following the 2015 general election, Baroness Stowell remained Leader of the
House of Lords and was appointed to the Cabinet.

2.4 Historical information

The number of Cabinet ministers in the House of Lords decreased over the
course of the twentieth century. The Public Administration Select Committee

3
Constitution Committee, Status of the Leader of the House of Lords (PDF), 25 July 2014, HL 41 2014-
15, para 1
4
Constitution Committee, Status of the Leader of the House of Lords (PDF), 25 July 2014, HL 41 2014-
15, para 8
5
Constitution Committee, Status of the Leader of the House of Lords (PDF), 25 July 2014, HL 41 2014-
15, para 23

11 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

report Goats and Tsars: ministerial and other appointments from outside
Parliament (March 2010) sets out the decline, and exceptions to it, as follows:

The presence of Cabinet Ministers in the House of Lords has diminished

markedly since the turn of the twentieth century, when there were nine
Members of the House of Lords in the Cabinet, including the Prime Minister.
Attlee’s first Cabinet in 1945 and Macmillan’s in 1957 contained five Lords, and
Churchill’s in 1951 included seven. By the mid-1960s, however, it had become
the norm for an incoming Prime Minister to recruit only the Leader of the House
of Lords and the Lord Chancellor from the House of Lords into his or her
Cabinet.

There were, however, exceptions to this rule such as Lord Carrington’s

appointment as Secretary of State for Defence in 1970. Margaret Thatcher’s
governments included several Secretaries of State based in the Lords,
including Lord Carrington as Foreign Secretary from 1979 until 1982, Lord
Cockfield as Trade Secretary from 1982 to 1983, and Lord Young as Employment
Secretary, from 1985 to 1987, and subsequently Secretary of State for Trade
and Industry, from 1987 to 1989. However, it was not until Tony Blair’s
government briefly included Baroness Amos as Secretary of State for
International Development in 2003 that there were two Secretaries of State
based in the House of Lords at the same time – the first time this had occurred
since Macmillan’s Government in the late 1950s. 6

In the Conservative governments of 1957-64, there were two periods where

there were two concurrent departmental secretaries of state in the Lords,
from January 1957 until September 1957, and from October 1959 until October
1963, the Earl of Home and Viscount Hailsham were both in the Cabinet:

• The Earl of Home was Commonwealth Relations Secretary from January

1957 until July 1960, and Foreign Secretary from July 1960 until October
1963.

• Viscount Hailsham was Minister for Education from January 1957 to

September 1957, and then Minister of Science from October 1959 until he
disclaimed his peerage in November 1963 (he was elected as an MP the
following month).

There have been cases where a single departmental Secretary of State had a
seat in the House of Lords. For example, in the 1970-74 Heath government,
Lord Carrington was Secretary of State for Defence (June 1970 to January
1974) and then Secretary of State for Energy. As set out in the table above
Lord Carrington, Lord Cockfield and Lord Young of Graffham were
departmental secretaries of state during Margaret Thatcher’s administration.

6
Public Administration Select Committee, Goats and Tsars: ministerial and other appointments from
outside Parliament, HC 330 2009-10, paras 47 and 48

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 Ministers in the House of Lords

3 ‘Outsider’ ministers

3.1 Gordon Brown’s ‘government of all the talents’

When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007 he announced his
intention to “reach out beyond narrow party interest” and “build a
government that uses all the talents”. 7 There was some concern over the
number of peerages created in order to place ministers in Parliament. For
example, in a report on Constitutional Reform and Renewal published in July
2009 the Justice Select Committee wrote that:

The present Prime Minister has appointed 11 people to be life peers so that they
could serve as ministers or as an adviser to the Government, some of whom
have already given up ministerial office but remain members of the House of
Lords. These measures accentuate a trend towards an appointed second
chamber, contrary to the view expressed by the three main parties and by the
House of Commons. Moreover, it is likely to lead to a continuous trend in future
governments appointing peers in order to rebalance the numbers and this is
unsustainable. 8

Although it can be difficult to be certain which peerages have been created in

order to give an individual ministerial office, the peerages announced by
Gordon Brown listed below appear to have been created for this purpose.

The Public Administration Select Committee launched an inquiry in June 2009

into outside appointments into government. Their report, Goats and Tsars:
Ministerial and other appointments from outside Parliament (PDF), was
published on 11 March 2010. 9 This raised questions about the scale of recent
appointments, the reasons they needed to be made and their impact on
Parliament and government. 10 The report suggested that ministers appointed
to the House of Lords should be required to resign their seats after they leave
government. 11

7
BBC, In full: Brown speech, 27 June 2007
8
Justice Select Committee, Constitutional Reform and Renewal, 29 July 2009, HC 923 2008-09, para
58
9
Public Administration Select Committee, Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from
outside Parliament (PDF), 11 March 2010, HC 330 2009-10
10
Public Administration Select Committee, Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from
outside Parliament (PDF), 11 March 2010, HC 330 2009-10, para 14
11
Public Administration Select Committee, Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from
outside Parliament (PDF), 11 March 2010, HC 330 2009-10, para 79

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 Ministers in the House of Lords

Ministers appointed to the House of Lords by Gordon Brown

Minister Ministerial role Introduced in the Lords
Lord Malloch-Brown Minister of State for Africa, Asia and UN and 9 July 2007 12
Government spokesperson, Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
Lord West of Spithead Parliamentary Under Secretary, Home Office 9 July 2007
Lord Jones of Minister of State, Department for Business 10 July 2007 13
Birmingham Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Baroness Vadera Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, 11 July 2007 14
Department for International Development
Lord Darzi of Denham Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, 19 July 2007 15
Department of Health
Lord Mandelson Secretary of State, Business, Enterprise and 13 October 2007
Regulatory Reform (BERR)
Lord Carter of Barnes Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, BERR on 16 October 2008 16
/Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Lord Myners Financial Services Secretary, HM Treasury 16 October 2008
Lord Davies of Abersoch Minister of State, BERR /Foreign and 2 February 2009
Commonwealth Office (FCO)
Baroness Kinnock Minister of State for Europe, FCO 30 June 2009 17

The committee suggested that the House of Lords Appointments Commission

should be allowed to vet ministerial appointees for propriety in the same way
as for any other working peer. 18 The committee raised the possibility that a
small number of junior ministers could be directly appointed without requiring

12
Lord Malloch-Brown stood down from his ministerial post at the start of the summer recess in July
2009, see ‘Another of Gordon Brown’s ‘goats’ decides to leave the fold’, The Times, 8 July 2009
13
Announced in August 2008 that he would leave government before the end of the year, and he did
so in October 2008, see ‘Digby Jones quits after just 18 months’, Telegraph, 23 August 2008
14
Stepped down in September 2009 to take up new post advising the G20, see ‘Vadera quits for G20
Advisory Role’, Financial Times, 25 September 2009
15
Stood down in July 2009, see ‘Darzi to quit as Health Minister’, The Times, 15 July 2009
16
Announced in June 2009 he would step down from his post during the summer, see ‘Further
resignation adds to pressure on Brown’, Scotsman, 13 June 2009
17
Became Minister of State with responsibility for Africa, United Nations, Human Rights and Climate
Change and Energy in October 2009
18
Public Administration Select Committee, Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from
outside Parliament (PDF), 11 March 2010, HC 330 2009-10, para 84. For more information about the
House of Lords Appointments Commission see the Library Standard Note, SN/PC/2855, The House of
Lords Appointments Commission

14 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

 Ministers in the House of Lords

them to be members of either House, suggesting that this could provide a

mechanism to place clear limits on the number of ministers that could be
appointed in this way and their role. They acknowledged that “this would be a
considerable constitutional innovation” but “an idea that deserves further
consideration”. 19

In its response to the report, the coalition government agreed with the
committee that “ministerial appointments from outside the existing
membership of the House of Commons or the House of Lords should be
exceptional”. 20

There were no secretaries of state in the House of Lords at the time of the
government’s response, nor throughout the time of the coalition. However, in
response to suggesting that peers answer questions in the House of
Commons, the government noted a “risk that the burden on ministers of
having additional duties in the other House might compromise their ability to
participate fully in the work of the House in which they sit”. 21

The government reported that following the 2010 general election, the House
of Lords Appointments Commission had vetted ministerial appointments. 22

3.2 ‘Outsider’ ministers in other administrations

The Constitution Unit published a report in January 2011 which discussed the
appointment of ‘outsider’ ministers to government and focused on issues of
competence and accountability. 23 The report noted:

Gordon Brown was not the only Prime Minister to bring in outside talent: British
Prime Ministers have been doing so for many years. Tony Blair had brought into
the Lords, amongst others, David Simon (former Chairman of BP) and Gus
MacDonald (former broadcaster and businessman), referred to as ‘Tony’s
cronies’. And before Blair, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath and Margaret
Thatcher had all attempted to bring in ‘experts’ or ‘outsiders’.

The authors suggested that “coalition constraints on ministerial

appointment” had resulted in a tendency to make appointments to advisory

19
Public Administration Select Committee, Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from
outside Parliament (PDF), 11 March 2010, HC 330 2009-10, para 90.
20
Public Administration Select Committee, Government Responses to the Committee’s Eighth and
Ninth Reports of Session 2009-10: Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from outside
Parliament and Too Many Ministers? (PDF), 21 October 2010, HC 150 2010-12, p5.
21
Public Administration Select Committee, Government Responses to the Committee’s Eighth and
Ninth Reports of Session 2009-10: Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from outside
Parliament and Too Many Ministers? (PDF), 21 October 2010, HC 150 2010-12, p6.
22
Public Administration Select Committee, Government Responses to the Committee’s Eighth and
Ninth Reports of Session 2009-10: Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from outside
Parliament and Too Many Ministers? (PDF), 21 October 2010, HC 150 2010-12, p7.
23
Ben Yong and Robert Hazell, Putting Goats among the Wolves: appointing ministers from outside
Parliament (PDF), Constitution Unit, January 2011.

15 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

positions rather than to ministerial office during the 2010-15 coalition

government. Nevertheless, there had been some ‘outside’ ministerial
appointments:

Jonathan Hill, former special adviser and head of John Major’s political office,
as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for schools; and Lord (James)
Sassoon, former Treasury civil servant and adviser to the then Shadow
Chancellor as the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury. The Government has
also recently announced the appointment of Lord (Stephen) Green, former
Chairman of HSBC, as Trade Minister. 24

It was reported at the time of the September 2012 reshuffle that Paul
Deighton, then Chief Executive Office of LOCOG, would join the government as
Commercial Secretary to the Treasury at the start of 2013. He would be a
minister (unpaid) in the House of Lords. 25

Following the 2015 general election, six peerages were announced for new
ministers: 26

• Lord Maude of Horsham, Minister of State for Trade and Investment from
May 2015 to April 2016

• Baroness Altmann, Minister of State for Pensions from May 2015 until July
2016.

• Lord Bridges of Headley, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office

from May 2015 until July 2016 and then Parliamentary Under Secretary of
State at the Department for Exiting the European Union on 17 July 2016.

• Lord Dunlop was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at

the Scotland Office in May 2015. He was also appointed Parliamentary
Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office on 17 July 2016.

• Lord O’Neill of Gatley was appointed Commercial Secretary to the

Treasury in May 2015.

• Lord Prior of Brampton was appointed Minister for NHS Productivity and
a member of the House of Lords in May 2015.

In addition, Lord Price was appointed as the Minister of State for International
Trade at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 4 April 2016. He was appointed to
the same role at the new Department for International Trade on 16 July 2016.

Theresa May appointed four non-parliamentarians to ministerial posts. They

all received peerages:

24
Ben Yong and Robert Hazell, Putting Goats among the Wolves: appointing ministers from outside
Parliament (PDF), Constitution Unit, p11
25
See: Cameron reshuffles his government: Politics live blog, 4 September 2012
26
HM Government, Election 2015: Prime Minister and ministerial appointments, 14 May 2015 and
Politics Home, Six Peerages announced for new ministers, 14 May 2015

16 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

• Lord Duncan of Springbank was appointed as a minister in the Scotland

Office and a member of the House of Lords in June 2017.

• Baroness Fairhead was appointed as a minister in the Department of

International Trade and a member of the House of Lords in September
2017.

• Lord Agnew of Oulton was appointed as Minister for Academies in the

Department for Education and a member of the House of Lords in
September 2017.

• Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford was appointed as a minister in the

Department of Health and Social Care and a member of the House of
Lords in January 2019.

In addition to appointing Nicky Morgan to the House of Lords, Boris Johnson

also appointed Zac Goldsmith, in December 2019. Both retained ministerial
posts they had held immediately before the general election. Nicky Morgan
did not contest the election but Zac Goldsmith was defeated in Richmond
Park.

On 18 March 2020, Boris Johnson appointed two non-parliamentarians as

ministers and announced that they would receive peerages:

• Lord Grimstone of Boscobel was appointed as Minister for Investment in

the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the
Department for International Trade.

• Lord Greenhalgh was appointed as a Minister of State in the Home Office

and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Both took their seats in the House of Lords on 21 April 2020. 27

Boris Johnson appointed five further non-parliamentarians as ministers. They

all subsequently joined the House of Lords:

• Lord Stewart of Dirleton became Advocate General for Scotland on 15

October 2020. He joined the House of Lords on 6 November 2020. 28

• Lord Wolfson of Tredegar was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary

(Ministry of Justice) on 22 December 2020. He became a member of the
House of Lords on 30 December 2020. 29

• Lord Offord of Garvel was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary

(Scotland Office) on 4 October 2021. He became a member of the House
of Lords on 13 October 2021. 30

27
HL Deb 21 April 2020 c1 and c1
28
House of Lords, Lord Stewart of Dirleton
29
House of Lords, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
30
House of Lords, Lord Garvel of Offord

17 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

• Lord Harrington of Watford was appointed a Minister of State in the

Home Office and the Department of Levelling Up on 15 March 2022. He
became a member of the House of Lords on the same day. 31

• Lord Bellamy was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of

Justice) on 7 June 2022. He became a member of the House of Lords on
14 June 2022. 32

Elizabeth Truss appointed three non-parliamentarians as ministers. They all

subsequently joined the House of Lords:

• Lord Markham was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary

(Department of Health and Social Care) on 22 September 2022. He
became a member of the House of Lords on 7 October 2022. 33

• Lord Johnson of Lainston was appointed Minister of State (Department

for International Trade) on 2 October 2022. He became a member of the
House of Lords on 19 October 2022. 34

• Lord Murray of Blidworth was appointed Minister of State (Home Office)

on 7 October 2022. He became a member of the House of Lords on 21
October 2022. 35

Rishi Sunak appointed three non-parliamentarians as ministers. They all

subsequently joined the House of Lords:

• Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton was appointed Foreign Secretary on 13

November 2023. He became a member of the House of Lords on 17
November 2023. 36

• Lord Douglas-Millar was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary

(Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) on 1 December
2023. He became a member of the House of Lords on 15 December 2023. 37

• Donald Cameron was appointed a Parliamentary Under Secretary of

State in the Scotland Office on 9 February 2024. The notice of
appointment confirmed that His Majesty had been pleased to confer a
life peerage on Mr Cameron. 38 Donald Cameron resigned as a Member of
the Scottish Parliament on the day of the announcement of his peerage. 39

31
House of Lords, Lord Harrington of Watford
32
House of Lords, Lord Bellamy
33
House of Lords, Lord Markham
34
House of Lords, Lord Johnson of Lainston
35
House of Lords, Lord Murray of Blidworth
36
House of Lords, Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton
37
House of Lords, Lord Douglas-Miller
38
GOV.UK, Ministerial appointment: February 2024, 9 February 2024
39
Scottish Parliament, Donald Cameron

18 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

 Ministers in the House of Lords

Keir Starmer appointed five non-parliamentarians as ministers in July 2024,

following the 2024 general election. 40 Keir Starmer appointed two more non-
parliamentarians as ministers in August and October 2024. 41 They all received
life peerages.

Ministers appointed to the House of Lords by Keir Starmer

Minister Ministerial role Introduced in the Lords
Lord Hermer Attorney General 22 July 2024 42
Lord Vallance of Balham Minister of State (Minister for Science) in the 18 July 2024 43
Department for Science, Innovation and
Technology
Lord Timpson Minister of State (Minister for Prisons, Parole 22 July 2024. 44
and Probation) in the Ministry of Justice
Baroness Smith of Minister of State in the Department for 18 July 2024 45
Malvern Education
Lord Hanson of Flint Minister of State in the Home Office 23 July 2024 46
Baroness Smith of Cluny Advocate General for Scotland 10 October 2024 47
Baroness Gustafsson Minister for Investment in the Treasury and 18 November 2024 48
Department for Business and Trade

40
Prime Minister’s Office, Ministerial Appointments: July 2024, 5 July 2024
41
Prime Minister’s Office, Ministerial appointment: 29 August 2024, 29 August 2024 and Prime
Minister’s Office, Ministerial appointments: 10 October 2024, 10 October 2024
42
HL Deb 22 July 2024 c223
43
HL Deb 18 July 2024 c27
44
HL Deb 22 July 2024 c223
45
HL Deb 18 July 2024 c27
46
HL Deb 23 July 2024 c357
47
HL Deb 10 October 2024 c2095
48
HL Deb 18 November 2024 c1

19 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

 Ministers in the House of Lords

4 Accountability of Cabinet ministers in

the Lords

4.1 House of Commons

The accountability arrangements of departmental Cabinet ministers in the

House of Lords became a topic of interest after Gordon Brown appointed two
peers as departmental Secretaries of State: Lord Mandelson at the
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) in 2008,
and Lord Adonis at the Department for Transport in 2009.

Interest rose again following the appointment of David Cameron as Foreign

Secretary on 13 November 2023, 49 when it was also announced he would be
made a life peer. 50

On the same day, the Speaker of the House of Commons announced he had
asked for advice from officials on “possible options for enhancing scrutiny of
the work of the Foreign Secretary when that post is filled by a Member of the
other House”. 51

On 22 November 2023, the Speaker wrote to the Procedure Committee

requesting a short inquiry “examining the options for enhanced scrutiny by
this House of senior ministers based in the Lords”. He continued:

In earlier times non-Members were part of Commons proceedings and it would

be helpful to the House if you could consider, for example, whether the
practice of witnesses being questioned at the bar of the House might be a
model that could be adapted for current circumstances. It would also be
helpful if you could consider whether opportunities for scrutiny should extend
beyond departmental questions to statements, urgent questions or perhaps
even participation in debates. 52

No changes were made to House of Commons procedures in either case.

49
Procedure and Privileges Committee, Oral Questions to Secretaries of State and Oral Statements by
Secretaries of State (PDF), 22 November 2023, HL Paper 14 2023–24, Appendix 1
50
Chris Ship(@chrisshipitv), X (Twitter), 13 November 2023 [accessed 1 February 2024]
51
HC Deb 13 November 2023 c359
52
Procedure Committee, Letter from Mr Speaker to the Committee regarding accountability to the
House of Commons of senior ministers in the House of Lords, dated 22 November 2023 (PDF), 23
November 2023

20 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

2023–24 Procedure Committee inquiry

The Procedure Committee announced an inquiry on 22 November 2023.

It undertook a survey of MPs’ views on whether secretaries of state in the

House of Lords should be more accountable to MPs; where such scrutiny
should take place; and the form and frequency of the scrutiny. 53 It took oral
evidence from the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and from the
Leader of the House and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office. 54

Its report was published on 24 January 2024, 55 and Dame Karen Bradley, the
committee chair, made a select committee statement in the House of
Commons on 25 January 2024. 56

In its report, the Procedure Committee said there had been “many
constitutional risks” for it to consider. There was “considerable debate” on
whether secretaries of state should sit in the House of Lords. The committee
said it was its “preference that Secretaries of State sit in the House of
Commons”. It recognised concerns that proposals to enhance Commons
scrutiny could lead to further such appointments.

The Procedure Committee was also aware that the two Houses separately
regulated their own affairs and any changes to practice and procedure
concerning MPs questioning members of the House of Lords would need to be
agreed by the House of Lords. 57

The committee examined how members of the House of Lords had previously
participated in Commons proceedings. It noted historic precedents of
members of the House of Lords addressing the Commons from the bar of the
House. Some witnesses suggested that the chamber would be the most
suitable venue for scrutiny of Lord Cameron. It was suggested that he could
appear at the bar of the House or at the despatch box. Lucy Powell, then
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, said the opposition wanted
“maximum scrutiny and accountability but with minimal pomp and ceremony
and occasion”. She considered appearing at the bar would provide “lots of
occasion and attention … but maybe not the sort of scrutiny that we are
looking for”. She also argued the despatch box should be reserved for elected
MPs. The Hansard Society thought questioning someone at the bar could
make the House look “ridiculous”. 58

53
Procedure Committee, Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords (PDF), 24
January 2024, HC 338 2023–24, Appendix
54
Procedure Committee, Oral evidence: Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of
Lords (PDF), 18 December 2023, HC 338 2023–24
55
Procedure Committee, Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords (PDF), 24
January 2024, HC 338 2023–24
56
HC Deb 25 January 2024 cc454-457
57
Procedure Committee, Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords (PDF), 24
January 2024, HC 338 2023–24, para 5
58
Procedure Committee, Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords (PDF), 24
January 2024, HC 338 2023–24, paras 7-14

21 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

Witnesses said Lord Cameron should appear regularly before select

committees but noted limitations to relying solely on select committees for
scrutiny. Few MPs would be able to participate, and among those not able to
question the Foreign Secretary would be opposition spokespeople. 59

Previously (see below) the Procedure Committee recommended Lords

secretaries of state should be questioned in Westminster Hall. While there
was some support for this approach, there was concern that time would be
taken from backbench debates and neither the Grand Committee Room
(where Westminster Hall debates are held) nor Committee Room 14 would
have sufficient capacity. 60

The Procedure Committee also considered the expectations that certain

statements are made secretaries of state and whether they should be made
first in the House of Commons. 61

From its survey, the committee reported that 88.5% of the 131 respondents
believed that Lords secretaries of state should be directly accountable to the
House of Commons. 62

The committee proposed scrutiny should take place in the chamber so that all
MPs could participate. It also proposed that the Secretary of State should
appear at departmental questions and for statements and urgent questions
when it would be normal for a Secretary of State to appear. However,
because it wanted to avoid unintended consequences, it said its
recommendations were time-limited, addressed the current situation and
should not set a precedent. 63 The committee recommended:

the House be given the opportunity to approve a motion enabling Secretaries

of State in the House of Lords to appear at the Bar of the House of Commons
for departmental question time, and for statements and urgent questions, for
the remainder of this Parliament. 64

In her select committee statement on 25 January 2024, the Procedure

Committee chair, Dame Karen Bradley, outlined the committee’s proposals
and called on the government to “bring forward the necessary motion as
quickly as possible”. 65

In responding to questions after her select committee statement, Dame Karen

Bradley noted that in 1979, when Lord Carrington was Foreign Secretary, a
deputy Foreign Secretary was appointed to answer questions in the Commons
(see Box 1). 66 She also reiterated the need for the agreement of the House of

59
Procedure Committee, Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords (PDF), 24
January 2024, HC 338 2023–24, paras 15-20
60
As above, paras 21-25
61
As above, paras 27-34
62
As above, para 36
63
As above, paras 41-48
64
As above, para 49
65
HC Deb 25 January 2024 cc454-455
66
HC Deb 25 January 2024 cc455-456

22 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

Lords to some of the proposals that would allow Lord Cameron to appear
before the House of Commons. 67

Box 1 “Deputy Foreign Secretary”

In her memoir, The Downing Street Years, Margaret Thatcher explained why
she felt she had to appoint a second Cabinet minister to answer questions in
the House of Commons when the Foreign Secretary was a member of the
House of Lords:
The law prescribes that only twenty-two people may receive the salaries of
Cabinet ministers. My decision to appoint a Foreign Secretary from the House of
Lords meant that we had to have an additional Foreign minister in the Cabinet to
answer in the Commons. Members of the House of Commons in any case dislike
seeing too many Members of the Lords in the Cabinet. They accept, of course,
that the Leader of the Lords and the Lord Chancellor (in this case the
distinguished and effervescent Quintin Hailsham) and possibly a third peer of
obvious suitability must be in the Cabinet. But they demand that there must be a
second Cabinet minister in the Commons to answer for any departmental head
who is a peer. In this post I appointed Ian Gilmour. (A similar arrangement would
later be necessary when David Young joined the Cabinet, first at Employment
and then at Trade and Industry.) Ian remained at the Foreign Office for two
years. Subsequently, he was to show me the same loyalty from the back-benches
as he had in government. 68

At Business Questions on 25 January, 1 February and 8 February 2024, Lucy

Powell, the Shadow Leader, asked the Leader of the House of Commons,
Penny Mordaunt, when she would table a motion to implement the Procedure
Committee’s recommendations. Initially, Penny Mordaunt said that the
government would be responding to the Procedure Committee “shortly”. 69

On 1 February 2024, Penny Mordaunt noted that some of the

recommendations would rely on the consent of the House of Lords. She said
she was “keen to hear the views of their Procedure Committee on some of the
recommendations that our Procedure Committee has made”. 70

On 8 February 2024, Penny Mordaunt said she was “in touch with the Leader
of the House of Lords about that matter and I hope to update the House
soon”. 71

67
HC Deb 25 January 2024 c456
68
Margaret Thatcher, The Downing Street Years, 1993, pp28-29
69
HC Deb 25 January 2024 c436; c437. Andrew Mitchell, a Minister of State in the FCDO, since October
2022, was given the honorific title Deputy Foreign Secretary on 12 April 2024
70
HC Deb 1 February 2024 c998
71
HC Deb 8 February 2024 c366

23 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

Government response
The Procedure Committee published the government’s response on 17 April
2024. 72 In a press notice announcing the publication of the government’s
response, the committee said:
The Government has rejected a proposal from the House of Commons
Procedure Committee for the Foreign Secretary to be scrutinised by MPs at the
Bar of the House of Commons Chamber. 73

The government noted that scrutiny arrangements had not been altered on
previous occasions when secretaries of state had been members of the House
of Lords. It said there was no evidence of any peer responding to routine
scrutiny at the bar of the House of Commons. 74 It also noted that the
Commons did not have the power to summon a member of the House of
Lords. It said it would welcome “further consideration” of how this proposal
could respect the relationship between the two Houses and be
implemented. 75
The government reported the occasions on which Lord Cameron of Chipping
Norton had given evidence to committees and in the House of Lords. 76
The government also disagreed with the Procedure Committee’s view that
questioning Lord Cameron at the bar of the House need not set a precedent.
It also said the new approach could “undermine the principle of comity
between the two Houses”. 77
In a select committee statement on 18 April 2024, Dame Karen Bradley, Chair
of the Procedure Committee, said it was “with regret” that she informed the
House that the government had rejected the committee’s proposals. 78 She
told the House that:
The Committee is still of the view that the Government should agree to our
recommendation to use the Bar of the House to allow questions to be put
directly to the Foreign Secretary by all Members of this House. 79

Dame Karen noted the different scrutiny roles of select committees and
individual MPs and said that committee scrutiny by select committees and
members of the House of Lords was no substitute for questioning in the

72
Procedure Committee, Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords: Government
Response to the Committee’s First Report (PDF), 17 April 2024, HC 672 2023-24
73
Procedure Committee news, Government rejects Procedure Committee's recommendation for the
Foreign Secretary to be scrutinised at the Bar of the House, 17 April 2024
74
The Bar of the House of Commons marks the boundary of the chamber beyond which guests and
visitors may not pass when the House is at work. In the House of Commons the Bar of the House is
represented by a white line on the floor across the width of the chamber.
75
Procedure Committee, Commons scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords: Government
Response to the Committee’s First Report (PDF), 17 April 2024, HC 672 2023-24, pp1-2
76
As above, pp3-5
77
As above, p5
78
HC Deb 18 April 2024 cc467-472
79
HC Deb 18 April 2024 cc467-468

24 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

Commons Chamber. Particularly as this would give all MPs the opportunity to
ask questions.
On the question of the impact of the proposals on the relationship between
the two Houses, Dame Karen said that the government was “using concerns
about comity to pre-emptively exclude the possibility of even having
discussions with the other place about how to facilitate the arrangements we
have recommended”. 80
After the government’s response was published, Lord Cameron of Chipping
Norton told the Press Association that he could be “fully accountable” without
being questioned by MPs at the bar of the House of Commons. He said he was
scrutinised more than previous secretaries of state in the Lords and that there
was no precedent for questioning a member of the House of Lords at the
Bar. 81
Before the government had responded to the Procedure Committee, one of
the committee’s members, Patrick Grady, had initiated an end of day
Adjournment Debate on Scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords,
on 20 March 2024. 82

Commons scrutiny of members of the House of Lords:

2008 to 2010 inquiries
In a 2008 report which considered the scrutiny of the Department for
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, the Business and Enterprise
Select Committee (BESC) suggested that it should be possible for Lord
Mandelson, then Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory
Reform, to be accountable to the House of Commons. It suggested that the
“most obvious method” would be to allow him to appear at the despatch box:

Whilst we recognise that many of our colleagues will have an instinctive dislike
of the idea of a peer appearing in this chamber, we would point out that peers
have entered the House of Commons before. Lords can appear before the
Commons as witnesses, if they consent to do so, and earlier editions of Erskine
May give details of the procedure, in which Lords are seated within the bar of
the House. Indeed, there are precedents for peers addressing the House
directly, as did Lord Melville in 1805 and the Duke of Wellington in 1814. If the
House could show such flexibility two centuries ago, we believe it should be
able to act in a similar spirit now.

The BESC also suggested other options could be explored, such as whether a
minister could be called to make a statement and answer questions upon it:

We note that the Standing Orders provide for a Minister of the Crown, whether
or not a Member of the House, to make a statement and answer questions
upon it in a grand committee, meeting in a large committee room. Again this
seems to us a precedent which might be usefully adapted. It might also be

80
HC Deb 18 April 2024 c468
81
“Cameron: No precedent for me to face scrutiny at Commons Bar”, Evening Standard, 25 April 2024
82
HC Deb 20 March 2024 cc1015-1028

25 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

possible for Lord Mandelson to appear in Westminster Hall, the parallel

chamber.

The BESC suggested that the matter be considered by the Procedure

Committee. 83

The then Speaker also suggested that ministers in the Lords should face
questioning from the Commons. In a September 2009 Hansard Society lecture
he stated:

I find the fact that backbenchers have no means of directly questioning

prominent Ministers of the Crown because they happen to sit in the House of
Lords to be less than satisfactory. That is even more true at a time when the
Cabinet contains the esteemed Lord Mandelson, whose empire is of a scale not
seen since the death of Alexander the Great, and the thoughtful Lord Adonis
who presides over the country’s transportation network. I suspect that both of
these individuals would concede that they should be responsible to backbench
MPs and would be more than willing to participate in an experiment in which
they were made available publicly through Westminster Hall, as one option,
and I intend to consult on how we might take this forward. 84

In October 2009 it was reported that Speaker Bercow had written to party
leaders to discuss calls for peers who serve as Cabinet ministers to appear in
the Commons. 85 It was also reported that the then Prime Minister had written
to Mr Speaker, stating that “I am keen that all secretaries of state are fully
accountable to Parliament”. 86

The Public Administration Select Committee also considered the

accountability of Cabinet Ministers in the House of Lords in their 2010 report,
Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from outside Parliament
(PDF). It concluded that so long as there was an unelected chamber, there
was a “strong argument” in favour of ministers being directly accountable to
the elected chamber as a whole. 87

The committee noted that the Procedure Committee was looking into the
matter but went on to recommend that ministers should be able to present
their policies and answer questions in both chambers. This would allow
government to ensure that their policies were being presented in the most
effective way by the person best placed to debate them. It would also expose
secretaries of state from both Houses to the different sorts of scrutiny carried

83
Business and Enterprise Committee, Departmental Annual Report and Scrutiny of the Department
for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, 25 November 2008, HC 1116.
84
Speech to the Hansard Society, 24 September 2009.
85
‘Speaker acts on peers’ questions’, BBC News, 26 October 2009.
86
Quoted in, ‘Mandelson could soon be back in the Commons; Prime Minister seeks to overturn rules
barring peers from Lower House and set up battle of the big business beasts’, Daily Telegraph, 26
October 2009
87
Public Administration Select Committee, Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from
outside Parliament, 11 March 2010, HC 330 2009-10, para 58

26 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

 Ministers in the House of Lords

out by each House and would remove the need to appoint members of the
Lords as ministers to ensure departmental representation in both Houses. 88

On 22 March 2010 the House of Commons Procedure Committee published a

short report on Accountability to the House of Commons of Secretaries of
State in the House of Lords. 89 The committee stated that it would be an
appropriate time to conduct an experiment of procedures for Lords ministers
being questioned in the Commons. 90

The Procedure Committee went on to recommend that the experiment, which

was to last one parliamentary session, should consist solely of questions and
should take place in Westminster Hall. It would apply only to departmental
secretaries of state in the House of Lords and would complement rather than
replace the regular departmental question times. Subject to the length of the
parliamentary session, each Secretary of State would be subject to two
question sessions. Each session would consist of thirty minutes of ‘normal’
questions followed by a fifteen-minute period of topical questions. These
question times would be chaired by a deputy speaker. 91

In the event, no changes were made before the May 2010 general election.

4.2 House of Lords

Meanwhile, the Lords had already established a new procedure for oral
questions to departmental secretaries of state on their departmental
responsibilities, in the chamber. In December 2009, the Lords Procedure
Committee had recommended that, on one Thursday each month when the
House was sitting, 15 minutes should be set aside for three oral questions
addressed to the Secretary of State, immediately following the existing 30
minutes for oral questions. 92 Where there was more than one Secretary of
State in the Lords, they would answer questions on different Thursdays within
any given month. The new procedure was used for the first time on Thursday
14 January 2010 when questions were put to Lord Adonis, Secretary of State
for Transport. 93

88
Public Administration Select Committee, Goats and Tsars: Ministerial and other appointments from
outside Parliament (PDF), 11 March 2010, HC 330 2009-10, para 61
89
House of Commons Procedure Committee, Accountability to the House of Commons of Secretaries of
State in the House of Lords (PDF), 22 March 2010, HC 496 2009–10
90
House of Commons Procedure Committee, Accountability to the House of Commons of Secretaries of
State in the House of Lords (PDF), 22 March 2010, HC 496 2009–10, paras 13-14
91
House of Commons Procedure Committee, Accountability to the House of Commons of Secretaries of
State in the House of Lords (PDF), 22 March 2010, HC 496 2009–10, para 17
92
House of Lords Procedure Committee, Oral questions to Secretaries of State; Committee for
Privileges and Standing Order 78; Personal Bills Committee (PDF), 9 December 2009, HL 13 2009-10;
the report was agreed HL Deb 15 December 2009 c1404
93
See HL Deb 14 January 2010 c611

27 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

In the 2010 Parliament, the Leader of the House of Lords established a Group
on Working Practices. Its recommendations were considered by the Procedure
Committee. The Leader’s group recommended that:

The procedure adopted in early 2010, whereby Secretaries of State sitting in

the Lords should answer three oral questions, on one Thursday each month,
directed to them in their ministerial capacity, should be made permanent, with
a view to its revival as appropriate.

The Procedure Committee concurred, with one proviso, “namely that the
ballot for such questions would, in accordance with the practice agreed in
April 2011, take place at 1 pm, rather than 2 pm”. 94

When the House of Lords considered the Procedure Committee’s report on 8

November 2011, an amendment to allow 20 minutes, rather than 15 minutes,
for oral questions to secretaries of state was accepted. 95

Oral questions to departmental secretaries of state in the House of Lords

were revived on 23 January 2020, when 20 minutes were set aside for three
questions to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. 96

When Lord Frost was appointed to the Cabinet, the procedure for oral
questions was extended to departmental ministers sitting in the House of
Lords who are full members of the Cabinet, following a recommendation from
the Procedure and Privileges Committee. 97 The committee noted:

During hybrid proceedings, the length of the questions will be kept in line with
those of oral questions, meaning that three questions of up to ten minutes’
each will be allotted 30 rather than 20 minutes. That change will be covered in
Guidance issued by this Committee. 98

Lord Frost was questioned for the first time on 25 March 2021. 99

The procedure for oral questions to secretaries of state in the House of Lords
was reviewed again by the Procedure and Privileges Committee in November
2023, following the appointment of David Cameron as Foreign Secretary. It
recommended changing the day, from Thursday to Tuesday; increasing the
number of balloted questions, from three to four; and extending the time
allowed from 30 to 40 minutes. 100

94
Procedure Committee, Proposals arising from the Report of the Leader’s Group on Working
Practices, 1 November 2011, HL 213 2010-12, paras 8-9
95
HL Deb 8 November 2011 cc150-151
96
HL Deb 23 January 2020 cc1155-1162
97
Procedure and Privileges Committee, Private Members’ Bills ballots; Extending Secretary of State’s
questions (PDF), 8 March 2021, HL Paper 237 2019-21; HL Deb 15 March 2021 cc15-16
98
Procedure and Privileges Committee, Private Members’ Bills ballots; Extending Secretary of State’s
questions (PDF), 8 March 2021, HL Paper 237 2019-21, para 11
99
HL Deb 25 March 2021 cc965ff
100
Procedure and Privileges Committee, Oral Questions to Secretaries of State and Oral Statements by
Secretaries of State (PDF), 22 November 2023, HL Paper 14 2023–24

28 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

Ministers in the House of Lords

The House of Lords agreed to the proposals on 28 November 2023; 101 and Lord
Cameron of Chipping Norton answered Secretary of State’s Questions for the
first time on 5 December 2023. 102

101
HL Deb 28 November 2023 c1025
102
HL Deb 5 December 2023 cc1373ff

29 Commons Library Research Briefing, 2 September 2025

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