First Lords elections should take place in May 2011

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 10th Aug 2007

2011 will mark the centenary of the Parliament Act 1911, when Parliament first committed itself to reforming the Lords.

Today (10 August) marks the 96th anniversary of the Parliament Act 1911 receiving Royal Assent. This legislation committed Parliament to replacing the House of Lords with "a Second Chamber constituted on a popular instead of hereditary basis" adding that "such substitution cannot be immediately brought into operation." Unlock Democracy is calling on the Government to hold the first elections to the Second Chamber in May 2011, to ensure that the first elected Members are in office before the centenary of the Act.

Following the historic vote in the House of Commons in March, supporting the options for an 80% elected and fully elected second chamber, the Government has now stated it is committed to reform along these lines. However, it has postponed actual reform until after the General Election.

Unlock Democracy and the Elect the Lords Campaign have been marking "Lords Reform Day" for the past three years. During this period, House of Lords reform has gone from a fringe issue to a central part of the Government's agenda.

Commenting, Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said:

"Twelve months ago, the prospect of House of Lords reform seemed as far away as possible. The vote this March in the House of Commons fundamentally changed the nature of the debate. The question is no longer whether the Government will complete reform, but when.

"We welcome the Government's commitment to reform, and the promised publication of a new White Paper on the subject later this year. However, as it presently stands, the first elected Member of the Second Chamber will not be in office before the centenary of the 1911 Parliament Act.

"For this reason, we call on the Government to commit to a timetable which would lead to the first elections taking place in May 2011, coinciding with the next Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections. This would be a realistic and practical deadline that would work well within the existing electoral calendar."