Parliament plays political tennis

The House of Commons and House of Lords are going up against each other once again. The Lords are showing that they are holding the government to account which the House of Commons is failing to do.

The Lords want a "lifeboat fund" for the 125,000 affected ex-employees who lost out when their final salary schemes went bust. Unfortunately in the House of Commons voting was 303 to 253 against the measure which means it now goes back to the Lords.

It seems as though Parliament is playing a game of political tennis. The latest legislation to show that is the Corporate Manslaughter Bill which the Lords want to include state institutions but the government don’t. Yesterday it was back in the Lords and they voted 186 to 157 for it to include state institutions so it once again will go back to the Commons for them to decide. It seems likely that the Lords will win this. If both houses hold their ground then the legislation dies at a certain date meaning that the government don’t get their legislation through. If they want to get it through they will have to change the legislation for it to include state institutions thereby making the Lords win.

This is a fine example of why we need the Lords. An elected lords would never behave like this which is why they should remain unelected.