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The Lords Commissioners are
privy counsellors The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
appointed by the
monarch of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...
to exercise, on his or her behalf, certain functions relating to
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
which would otherwise require the monarch's attendance at the
Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north b ...
. These include the opening and prorogation of Parliament, the confirmation of a newly elected speaker of the House of Commons and the granting of
royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
. The lords commissioners are collectively known as the Royal Commission. The Royal Commission includes at least three—and usually five—lords commissioners. In current practice, the lords commissioners usually include the
lord chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...
, the
archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...
(who is named but usually does not participate), the leaders of the three major parties in the House of Lords, the convenor of the House of Lords
Crossbencher A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...
s and (since 2007) the
lord speaker The Lord Speaker is the presiding officer, chairman and highest authority of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the membe ...
. Occasionally there are substitutions (such as deputy party leaders) if the normal commissioners are unavailable. The lord chancellor serves as the most senior lord commissioner after the archbishop of Canterbury, who in modern times never participates in the Commission. Traditionally the lord chancellor took part in the ceremony and presided over the Royal Commission. However, since the 2007 appointment of
Jack Straw John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946) is a British politician who served in the Cabinet from 1997 to 2010 under the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He held two of the traditional Great Offices of State, as Home Secretary ...
, a member of the House of Commons, as lord chancellor the person in that office does not participate in Royal Commissions, much like the archbishop of Canterbury. In this case, the
leader of the House of Lords The leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The post is also the leader of the majority party in the House of Lords who acts as ...
performs the duties of the lord chancellor, with the lord speaker of the House of Lords serving as a lord commissioner. Exceptions to this procedure were seen in 2009 and 2019, when royal approbation was declared to the elections of
John Bercow John Simon Bercow (; born 19 January 1963) is a British former politician who was Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Buckingham between 1997 and 2019. A member of the Conservative Party prior t ...
and
Lindsay Hoyle Sir Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (born 10 June 1957)'HOYLE, Hon. Lindsay (Harvey)', Who's Who 2013, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012 ; online edn, Nov 201 Retrieved 31 December 20 ...
as Commons speaker. On these occasions the lord chancellor, respectively Jack Straw and Robert Buckland, performed this function personally and the lord speaker did not serve as a lord commissioner. The lords commissioners enter the chamber of the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
at the appointed time, and take seats on a structure temporarily placed for the duration of the ceremony. The lord chancellor or leader of the House of Lords, as the most senior lord commissioner, commands the gentleman/lady usher of the
Black Rod Black Rod (officially known as the Lady Usher of the Black Rod or, if male, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod) is an official in the parliaments of several Commonwealth countries. The position originates in the House of Lords of the Parlia ...
to summon the House of Commons. Representatives of the House of Commons arrive at the Bar of the House of Lords, and bow thrice, but do not actually enter the Lords Chamber. After each bow, male lords commissioners doff their hats to the members of Parliament while female lords commissioners bow their heads in return. The reading clerk of the House of Lords then reads the Monarch's Commission, which authorizes the lords commissioners. After the appropriate business has been transacted, the Commons again bow thrice and depart.


Lords commissioners

The following people are usually appointed and lords commissioners as of April 2022:


References

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External links


Royal Comissions
at the UK Parliament website
Royal Assent by Commission
at the UK Parliament website Parliament of the United Kingdom Constitution of the United Kingdom Representatives of the British monarch