Lords Commissioners
The Lords Commissioners are members of the Privy Council appointed by the British monarch to carry out certain parliamentary- related duties on his behalf that would otherwise require the monarch to be present at the Palace of Westminster . These include the opening of parliament and the farewell, the confirmation of the newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons and the granting of the Royal Assent for laws of parliament. The entirety of the Lords Commissioners is known as the Royal Commission . The Royal Commission consists of at least three, usually five members. Normally the body consists of the Lord Chancellor , the Archbishop of Canterbury , the leaders of the three largest parties in the House of Lords, the Convenor of the House of Lords Crossbenchers and, since 2007, the Lord Speaker . Occasionally, when the normal commissioner is not available, a substitute such as the deputy party leader is appointed.
In modern times the Archbishop of Canterbury has not attended any of the meetings of the Royal Commission. Hence it is usually presided over by the Lord Chancellor as the senior member. Since Jack Straw was appointed in 2007, the Lord Chancellors have been members of the House of Commons rather than the House of Lords. Since then, the Lord Chancellor, like the Archbishop of Canterbury, has not attended the meetings. He will then be replaced by the Leader of the House of Lords . The Lord Speaker then takes his place . In the confirmation of the Speakers of the House of Commons John Bercow and Lindsay Hoyle in 2009 and 2019, the Lord Chancellors Jack Straw and Robert Buckland performed the function personally and the Lordspeaker was not Lord Commissioner.
The Lords Commissioners enter the House of Lords at a specified time and take their place in front of the royal throne in the seats provided for them. The highest ranking member asks the Gentleman / Lady Usher of the Black Rod to call the House of Commons. The representatives of the House of Commons come in front of the barrier in the House of Lords, but do not enter the chamber and bow three times. After each bow, the male Lord Commissioners take off their hats and the females bow their heads. The Reading Clerk of the House of Lords then reads out the Monarch's Commission, which the Lords Commissioners then approve. Then the Commons bow three more times and leave.
Lords Commissioners
The following people have been participating and non-participating Lords Commissioners since 2019:
| image | Official | Office | since |
|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
|
The Most Rev. and Rt Hon. Justin Welby | Archbishop of Canterbury | 4th February 2013 |
|
The Rt Hon. Robert Buckland , MP | Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain | July 24, 2019 |
|
The Rt Hon. Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler | Lord Speaker of the House of Lords | September 1, 2016 |
|
The Rt Hon. Natalie Evans, Baroness Evans of Bowes Park |
Leader of the House of Lords Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal |
July 14, 2016 |
|
The Rt Hon. Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon | Leader of the Labor Party in the House of Lords | May 27, 2015 |
|
The Rt Hon. Richard Newby, Baron Newby | Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords | 13th September 2016 |
|
The Rt Hon. Igor Judge, Baron Judge | Convenor of the Crossbench Peers | October 2019 |
The controversial parliamentary suspension in September 2019 was boycotted by Lord Commissioners Newby and Smith of Basildon. Therefore it was carried out by only three Lord Commissioners.
Individual evidence
Web links
- Royal Commissions on the UK Parliamentary side
- Royal Assent by Commission on the UK Parliament website