📜 How to work the House of Lords

The Lords is one of the most effective influencing vehicles I’ve ever come across

And, simultaneously, fundamentally underestimated by many people. Those who are attempting to influence policy do not make most of the opportunities that are available in the House of Lords. They neglect it for the House of Commons down the corridor, which although younger and arguably cooler, doesn’t have the same temperament for improving policy and legislation. 

To engage the Lords, you must understand its processes

I am always surprised that among those trying to influence policy, there is a general lack of understanding about the mechanics. The Lords is a part-time role. We sit for roughly half the week, for roughly half the year. If you want us to engage with your thing, tell us when it’s happening, what the process is, what time it starts, when it’s likely to finish. Help us help you. Know the difference between report stage and committee stage and second reading. Those trying to influence policy would do better if they helped peers utilise the processes that exist.

Some, instead of engaging with that process, send us briefings

A three-page briefing about the price of wheat might be interesting, and I might read it if you send it to me, but I also need to know what you want me to do about it. What is happening, when and where do I need to be, and what are you trying to achieve. This is the difference between servicing and lobbying. Lobbying might get me interested in the price of wheat. Coverage in the Guardian might alert me to the fact that there is something to consider about the price of wheat. Servicing supports me to do something about the price of wheat.