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41 percent of national parliaments, like the UK, use a bicameral system, meaning that Parliament contains two separate chambers. It is another democratic innovation, started in England,

developed over time within the UK and then exported worldwide. However, according to many, the Lords is an aspect of British democracy in desperate need of reform. With its 776 members, it

is the largest second chamber in the world – France and Italy have 348 and 321 respectively – and apart from Iran and Vatican City, the UK is the only state that allows clerics to play a

part in lawmaking. Moreover, it is estimated to cost the taxpayer some £20million a year in allowances and expenses.  Since its creation, many Prime Ministers have attempted to reform it. 

According to recent reports, the Government is looking at plans to turn it into an elected US-style senate.  However, attempts to create a “second chamber of the nations and regions” have

repeatedly failed throughout time.  In 2012, it was Jacob Rees-Mogg and other Conservative MPs who brought down the most serious attempt at reform under the Coalition, when they rebelled

against a Nick Clegg-led initiative. Among other reforms, the bill would have made the upper chamber mostly elected. However, the legislation was the subject of a bitter battle on Government

backbenches, with Tory MPs accusing the Lib Dems of pushing the reforms in order to stage a power-grab in the second chamber.  Before the bill was debated, Mr Rees-Mogg raised a Point of

Order, asking the Speaker to rule on whether the bill should be classified as a hybrid bill because it affected the private interests of the Bishops of the Church of England.  JUST IN: JACOB

REES-MOGG'S SURPRISE RELATIONSHIP WITH EMILY MAITLIS REVEALED Had the Speaker ruled that the bill was a hybrid, it would have been subject to a different, more lengthy procedure.

However, the Speaker ruled that it was not.  The BBC claims this was an early attempt to derail the bill's passage through Parliament. Labour called for more scrutiny of the bill and

said it would vote against the programme motion, along with several Conservative MPs.  In July 2012, it became clear that the Government was going to lose the vote on the programme motion

and it was withdrawn.  Two Conservative members of the Government resigned to vote with the rebels.  In August of that year, it was reported that the Prime Minister was to announce that the

bill would be dropped after negotiations with Conservative rebels broke down. Just three days later, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced that the Government was abandoning the bill

due to the opposition from Conservative backbench MPs, claiming that the Tories had "broken the coalition contract". It is not clear whether Mr Rees-Mogg's views on the House

of Lords have changed and whether he still would vote against turning the upper chamber into an elected one.  Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester in October, though,

the Cabinet minister criticised peers for blocking Brexit.  He said: “For the House of Lords to rush through all its stages in 24 or 48 hours hits at the heart of the purpose of the House of

Lords. “A second chamber I have always been in favour of, because of its ability to be deliberative. When, because they hate Brexit, they abandon the principle of their existence, you see

that reform becomes necessary for their lordships’ house.”