0:00:03 > 0:00:06We like wrapping things up in ribbon in Parliament.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Since time immemorial, green has been the colour of the House of Commons
0:00:09 > 0:00:12and red the colour of the House of Lords.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13For 100 years,
0:00:13 > 0:00:18a delicate balance of power has existed between our two
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Houses of Parliament.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24This is the splendidly traditional way in which the two Houses
0:00:24 > 0:00:26exchange messages.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29But now, that's under threat.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Come on, the Lords.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Come on, your lordships.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35Division!
0:00:38 > 0:00:40We just, we just won, that is great.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43See, the House of Lords, rocking.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46In a year that has seen political orders overturned around the world,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50the Commons and Lords have been fighting their own battle -
0:00:50 > 0:00:51with each other.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56We've been behind the scenes where no-one's filmed before.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01Not all men are keen on wearing diamante buckles on their slippers.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Who will win this war of wills?
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Hello, Lord.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Monty, it's Keith, can you take a message, please?
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Yeah, thanks, mate, cheers, bye.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36- OK, Mr Beamish. - This is the fun bit,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38when the police clear everybody aside
0:01:38 > 0:01:43and it makes me feel like Moses crossing the Red Sea,
0:01:43 > 0:01:44and the waters parting.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47The most important people are made to stand aside.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49I think they're ready.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Chief clerk David Beamish is carrying a Bill back to the Commons
0:01:53 > 0:01:57with suggested amendments made by the Lords.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00It's probably one of those things that's become fossilised in time
0:02:00 > 0:02:03and nobody's ever thought to change it,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07a bit like the clerks still wearing 18th-century dress with wigs and gowns.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14The Lords' role is to revise legislation and to ask the Government to
0:02:14 > 0:02:16think again.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18The way we describe the whole Houses of Commons is at
0:02:18 > 0:02:20the other end are the students
0:02:20 > 0:02:23and the schoolchildren, they do the work,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25and the House of Lords are the teachers.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27So it's sent up, we mark it, correct it,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30send it back down and then laws and bills are passed.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31Morning.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34On the way out there will be a short test, OK?
0:02:34 > 0:02:37If you get less than 90% you're back in for an hour, all right?
0:02:37 > 0:02:38That includes you.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43If the two Houses can't agree,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46the unelected Lords are supposed to give way to the Commons.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Division!
0:02:52 > 0:02:54But since the Tories came to power in 2015,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58rebellious lords have thrown their weight around and derailed key
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Government policies.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02The Government has had enough.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Sometimes people come here and think that they can overturn
0:03:08 > 0:03:12an elected government, and they can't, and they shouldn't,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14and they need to be disabused of that view.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18It's winter, 2015.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21The Prime Minister has called on his party's most canny operator in
0:03:21 > 0:03:25the Lords to rein them in.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29When residing at his London home, rather than his Scottish estate,
0:03:29 > 0:03:30hereditary peer Lord Strathclyde
0:03:30 > 0:03:34has one of the shortest commutes in Westminster.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I think I can do it in about three minutes,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39maybe even quicker if I have to run.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The Prime Minister wants him to review the power the Lords has to
0:03:42 > 0:03:45block the Government.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49This is the small, back-door entrance to the House of Lords,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52which I like, it's very quiet and calm.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I never tire of coming into this building.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07I don't really believe in ghosts,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10but there are ancient voices that come through late at night.
0:04:10 > 0:04:11You somehow feel the spirits
0:04:11 > 0:04:16of the great men and women who have been here in the past...
0:04:16 > 0:04:20And played their part in the governance of the country
0:04:20 > 0:04:22in one form or another.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24George IV, liked dressing up.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29These are well-trodden paths, well-trodden.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31- Hello.- Hello.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Lord Garel-Jones, lovely to see you.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38I feel very comfortable here.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42I've been here quite a long time, so I know all these people very well.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49When he first came here, it was a very different place.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Dominated by hereditary peers like him.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55There's our front bench, there I am,
0:04:55 > 0:05:00a far more youthful me than I seem to remember.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04It was a different House, there's no doubt about that,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06from the way it is today.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12There's a great team of people there,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14as there were on the Opposition.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16I've always said that Labour make a far better opposition than they do
0:05:16 > 0:05:19a government, when it comes to the House of Lords.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22They don't like me saying that, though!
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Reform in 1999 kicked out most of the aristocrats.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Now Labour and Lib Dems outgun the Tories.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38For the first time we have a Conservative Government who don't
0:05:38 > 0:05:41have a natural majority in the House of Lords,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43which they had for much of the 20th century.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52This is the first time that a Labour Party, in Opposition,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56has had the kind of power and control over the House
0:05:56 > 0:05:58that it has demonstrated.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I think I need to take their lordships to the clifftop
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and let them look over the edge.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Well, in some ways, I think
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Tom Strathclyde is an ideal person to do this,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11but he's a foxy, crafty character.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22A former Lib Dem MP, Lord Tyler,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26has a humble bedsit round the corner from the Lords.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Never used the cooker, ever.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29Well, I think once,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33but it was just to warm up a pizza which had gone rather flabby.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37I think when I was a student I had a slightly bigger room.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46Normally, it's a quick breakfast and then off to the Lords.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Back again quite late.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54I'm so used to it, it doesn't seem odd.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57I suspect anybody else would think it's very odd,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01peculiar people to live that sort of life.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05The last election saw the Lib Dems
0:07:05 > 0:07:08cut down to just eight MPs in the Commons.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12But in the Lords, they still have 100 unelected peers,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15unwilling to give up any of their power.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18If there was an attempt to take on the House of Lords and try,
0:07:18 > 0:07:24as it were, to lame us, nobble us, neutralise us, make us impotent,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28the Lords would not go down without a fight.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33The stage is set for an historic showdown
0:07:33 > 0:07:37between the Government and the Lords.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43This is not a place that always welcomes change.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47When I tell people where I work and what I wear,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50quite a lot of people don't believe me or refuse to believe it happens
0:07:50 > 0:07:53like this any more. They think it's quite funny.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57We work in this amazing building.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00The uniform goes with the building.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04You put a role on with the uniform and it's a bit of an act.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07We wear a black waistcoat because we are still in mourning
0:08:07 > 0:08:10for Prince Albert. No-one told the doorkeepers,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13"OK, we've mourned enough now, so you can stop."
0:08:13 > 0:08:17We've been in mourning for 150 years.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20It's very strange putting it on for the first time,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24you do hold yourself a bit stiffer and a bit more upright and you act,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26I think, in a little more of a formal way
0:08:26 > 0:08:28once you've got the uniform on.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30But I think that's the point of it.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35When Lords and Commons don't see eye-to-eye there are more votes.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37There's no electronic voting here.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Whatever their age, peers vote with their feet.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44The whips, who are normally sitting around this area,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48will give us an idea of which groups are likely to have a division.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51First of all we listen out for, "Clear the bar".
0:08:51 > 0:08:54That means there is a division.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57The clerks would start counting eight minutes.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02So, as soon as that happens, we open the doors into the voting lobbies...
0:09:04 > 0:09:09..we lock the door at the other end of the voting lobby.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15As soon as the clerk indicates that eight minutes is up,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17all the doors shut.
0:09:21 > 0:09:27If a member turns up two seconds past, they cannot come in.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Sometimes you really do literally
0:09:29 > 0:09:31have to slam the door in somebody's face.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42As lords wait nervously for the publication of Lord Strathclyde's report,
0:09:42 > 0:09:47party leaders on all sides urge their members to show restraint.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54But for 83-year-old Lord Dubs,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57there is one burning issue that is more important than party politics
0:09:57 > 0:09:59and bowing to the will of the Commons.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Across Europe, refugees are fleeing war and persecution.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10He's visiting the thousands of refugees stranded in Calais.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14I want to ensure that Britain plays its part in giving safety to
0:10:14 > 0:10:18the children who are vulnerable to being sucked into trafficking,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21into prostitution, into criminality, into drugs.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Very vulnerable young people.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28He knows what it's like to be a refugee.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Mum and Dad, from their Czech passports.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33That's my father, a bit overweight he was!
0:10:33 > 0:10:34And my mum.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40That was about three weeks after the Nazis occupied Prague.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44These were good friends of ours and when the Nazis came eventually
0:10:44 > 0:10:46they both went to concentration camps.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49He didn't survive and she went to a camp and she survived.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51And that's me in the middle.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58He was rescued by the British Government.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04All I remember is we were all on the train, I didn't know anybody else,
0:11:04 > 0:11:05all children.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07I was one of the youngest.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10My mum was there with a friend looking very anxious and all
0:11:10 > 0:11:14the other parents were there looking desperately anxious saying goodbye
0:11:14 > 0:11:16to the children they might never see -
0:11:16 > 0:11:19some of them realised they'd never see them again -
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and off the train went.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24At that time, Britain was the only country that was persuaded to
0:11:24 > 0:11:27take Kinder transport children from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31All the other countries said no, even the Americans said no.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Lord Dubs wants to amend the Government's Immigration Bill
0:11:35 > 0:11:39to give 3,000 refugee children a home in Britain.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43'What I want to do is to give at least some of them the chance
0:11:43 > 0:11:45'of having safety in this country
0:11:45 > 0:11:48'in the way this country gave me safety.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51'I'm seeking support from the bishops,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55'from the Lib Dems and the crossbenchers and hopefully some of the Conservatives
0:11:55 > 0:11:58'because I believe if there's any chance of winning,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01'it's got to be done on the basis of broad political support.'
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Rebellious lords have the advantage that they can't be sacked.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09Unlike MPs,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12they have a job for life and aren't accountable
0:12:12 > 0:12:16to constituents or party - only to themselves.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19I'm quite torn about this, actually,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22because obviously
0:12:22 > 0:12:24as a Conservative peer, which I am,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I want to support the Conservative Government,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29it's not very mysterious.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34But I do feel that when
0:12:34 > 0:12:38the Opposition put up sensible amendments,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42I do find it quite difficult to vote against that.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46That's part of the spirit of the Lords.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48I was a party political person for many years
0:12:48 > 0:12:49and therefore I always
0:12:49 > 0:12:53obeyed the party whip, or I tended to obey the party whip as far
0:12:53 > 0:12:56as I can remember, but now I'm footloose and fancy free,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I can vote exactly which way I want, I don't give a damn,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01nobody instructs me, I do whatever I think is right.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Many peers, like Admiral Lord West,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11are out of step with their party leadership.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15I think I'm slightly unusual in that I lie to the left of centre in
0:13:15 > 0:13:19the way I think and the things that I do but I'm not a member of
0:13:19 > 0:13:22the Socialist Workers Party, that would be too far for me to go.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26I take the Labour whip,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29but if one absolutely doesn't agree with something
0:13:29 > 0:13:32you just don't turn up or, you know, if you really, really are grumpy,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35you vote the other way and if someone puts pressure on you,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39well, you know, rabbit away, mate, is basically it because, you know,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42at the end of the day, they can do nothing about it.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Lord West is a leading contributor to debates on defence but he also
0:13:47 > 0:13:51pursues his own interests regardless of party policy.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Because I'm in the Lords, that gives me a platform.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58If I were just AN Other person in Tunbridge Wells, you know,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells, that gets no traction.
0:14:01 > 0:14:02Right, here we go.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06I'll let you take charge of the buttons.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Today, Lord West is using his privileged platform to entertain
0:14:09 > 0:14:12his passion for flags and heraldry.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16He's persuaded the authorities to let him onto the palace roof.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Not something one does every day.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Well, I think Albert probably does, you do it every day, do you?
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Yes, we do, yes.
0:14:25 > 0:14:26There we are.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30The whole parliamentary estate all laid out below us.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Must be one of the best views in London.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37You can see for miles up here.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- Do you have your lunch up here, bag meals?- Oh, no!- Oh, I would.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- Aren't you allowed to? - No food's allowed up.- Oh, no!
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Well, I'd probably cheat and have a little picnic up here.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Bloody brilliant it would be, wouldn't it?!
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Before, it only used to fly when the House was sitting and we felt that
0:14:54 > 0:14:57was not correct. This is the seat of the mother of all parliaments,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01the seat of government in this country, and we didn't even fly our
0:15:01 > 0:15:03own flag, which seemed to us totally ridiculous.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06We said, "Why not fly it every day? We should fly it every day."
0:15:06 > 0:15:08We've managed to achieve that.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18Now, one of the next steps is to have the flag of England, Scotland,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Wales and a bare flagpole
0:15:21 > 0:15:23because there isn't a flag for Northern Ireland
0:15:23 > 0:15:25but we think there should be
0:15:25 > 0:15:27and when they see there's a bare flagpole there,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30this might get some move towards actually producing one.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Morning, Lord.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38It's January 2016,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41and peers return from their winter break to get their hands on
0:15:41 > 0:15:43the hottest document in Westminster.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Do you have a copy of the Strathclyde report?
0:15:46 > 0:15:47- It's just there.- Lovely.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Thanks very much. Thank you.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56The House of Lords is never going to like this report,
0:15:56 > 0:16:01to which I say, well, you should never have done what you did.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05I don't think it's going to be a best seller.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07The pigeons will be fluttering.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Who the cat is, in this case, I'm not yet so sure.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Can we prepare the lobby, please, doorkeepers?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Lord Strathclyde has decided to go for the nuclear option.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25He's recommended a new law curbing the Lords' powers to block the Government.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27We don't like it.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30We certainly don't like it.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32I don't think the crossbenchers are going to like it
0:16:32 > 0:16:34and they are crucial in this debate.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Peers will have the chance to debate the report
0:16:39 > 0:16:42but if the Government wants to make the recommendations law,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44they'll be powerless to stop it.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Well, I'm going to go into the chamber and it will be, I expect,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52about six hours before we get out, maybe even longer than that.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53We'll see.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Long debates like this one can last many hours.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08The Lords still use a messaging system that predates the digital age
0:17:08 > 0:17:11to keep them in touch with the outside world.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Some of them are very trivial, some of them are "Please ring home",
0:17:15 > 0:17:16some of them are,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20"Would you like to talk to the Times about this subject?"
0:17:22 > 0:17:24We're supposed to be invisible.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29We don't hang around, we just get the things in and then skedaddle.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35It's very personal, yes, and just somewhat Victorian.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Lord Strathclyde.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Hear, hear!
0:17:45 > 0:17:49My Lords, this debate goes to the heart
0:17:49 > 0:17:55of what we believe we are here to do, what we are for.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58It goes to the heart of the relationship that we have between
0:17:58 > 0:18:01this House and the House of Commons.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03'He's using it,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07'trying to pretend that he's concerned about the primacy
0:18:07 > 0:18:08'of the House of Commons.'
0:18:08 > 0:18:11What he's really concerned about and what the Government are
0:18:11 > 0:18:14really concerned about is to stop scrutiny
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and challenging the Executive, challenging the Government.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20The House can always, virtually always,
0:18:20 > 0:18:25defeat the Government and that way chaos lies.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27They're pissed off.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30They want to, you know, basically cart us off,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32lock us up and tell us to shut up
0:18:32 > 0:18:37and that's not how the British system of government works
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and they shouldn't really be trying to get through what
0:18:40 > 0:18:41they're doing now.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I think that's a very dangerous route for us to go down.
0:18:47 > 0:18:48Hear, hear.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52'It's been a hell of a day.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54'These are serious issues.'
0:18:54 > 0:18:56This is about how we make laws.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01That's why it counts, that's why people get excited about it
0:19:01 > 0:19:07and now the Government will have to think about where it goes next.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22The Lords are now living under a threat.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Obstruct the Government plans again and they could pay a high price.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35It's February. For a few cold weeks, there's a ceasefire between
0:19:35 > 0:19:38the Government and the Lords.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41And window cleaners prepare to give the palace's 4,000 windows
0:19:41 > 0:19:43their annual scrub.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Harness, carabiners, descenders,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51everything we need to get the job done.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53And obviously our ropes, as well.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Weigh quite a bit.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04It's not too windy, it's not too cold
0:20:04 > 0:20:09and it's not raining. That's always a plus.
0:20:09 > 0:20:10Just setting up our ropes.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Rigging to the structural steel work
0:20:12 > 0:20:15so that we can get over the edge safely.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18The last thing we want is to create an injury
0:20:18 > 0:20:21or, in the worst case, a fatality.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25This back section overlooks the river
0:20:25 > 0:20:28so we'll be abseiling down with life jacket devices
0:20:28 > 0:20:32to ensure if we did get down to the bottom for whatever reason
0:20:32 > 0:20:36and not through the window, which is our planned route,
0:20:36 > 0:20:38we would be OK.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41We've got to watch our foot on like the brickwork and statues,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43the gargoyles and stuff like that.
0:20:43 > 0:20:44You don't want to be breaking those
0:20:44 > 0:20:47because I don't know how much it would cost to replace that.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59It's a very iconic building, you know.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02They wanted it to stand out and it's certainly done the purpose.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05The window cleaning was probably the last thing on their minds.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09It's a good feeling to be able to say
0:21:09 > 0:21:11I've been on the Houses of Parliament.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24The windows are now clean but the future relationship
0:21:24 > 0:21:27between Lords and Commons is less clear.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35It's just two months since the Strathclyde report was debated
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and already the fragile truce between the Government and Lords
0:21:38 > 0:21:40is being put to the test.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44The Government has introduced a bill to reform trade unions,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48making contributions to political parties voluntary.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51It says individual members, not union leaders,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53should decide where their money goes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57But the move could drastically cut the Labour Party's funding.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Good morning, My Lady, how are you?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- Are you OK?- All good, My Lady.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04'We didn't pick this fight, it's the Government that's picked this fight.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07'So we're absolutely clear that if they've picked the fight,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10'of course we're going to respond and we're going to try everything in
0:22:10 > 0:22:15'our powers to make sure that we tame this bill in some way.'
0:22:18 > 0:22:19As a party whip,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Baroness Morgan will be trying to get all Labour peers
0:22:22 > 0:22:25to vote against the bill.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28What happens is that every week, all of the Labour group receives
0:22:28 > 0:22:30a whip telling them what's coming up,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35what's going to be debated and whether they need to be here or not.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39One line means, well, you know, if you turn up that would be good.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Two line, well, it's quite important.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44But three line is, yes, you need to be here.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47This week is a three line plus plus.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49That is, you need to be here
0:22:49 > 0:22:52and you may be in a bit of trouble if you're not.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59To win, Labour will need support
0:22:59 > 0:23:03from other parties and independent peers.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Lord Tyler is always keen to take on the Government but he wants to be
0:23:07 > 0:23:09armed with the facts.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13He's joined a cross-party committee set up to try and look at the issue
0:23:13 > 0:23:15without party bias.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18'I felt we ought to demonstrate to the Government that this wasn't
0:23:18 > 0:23:21'just a straight Labour-Tory issue.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26'It had significance for everybody in the House of Lords.'
0:23:27 > 0:23:29What the Government appears to be doing
0:23:29 > 0:23:31is trying to attack the Labour Party
0:23:31 > 0:23:35and doing it in a way which is frankly pretty underhand.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41The committee tables an amendment to the bill which would block
0:23:41 > 0:23:43the changes to party funding.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47- That's the way to do it. - That's very helpful.- OK.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48Thanks very much.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Lord Tyler lobbies peers to vote against the Government.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55'The brush past in the corridor is a very important function
0:23:55 > 0:23:57'of this end of the building.'
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Here, give me your card and I'll drop you a note...
0:24:00 > 0:24:03'It can be incredibly useful.'
0:24:03 > 0:24:05You can't overdo this because if you look as if
0:24:05 > 0:24:07you're sort of a perennial plotter,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11a sort of character from the 18th century who spends his or her
0:24:11 > 0:24:15life wandering about this building to try and make sure that everybody
0:24:15 > 0:24:18is onside, it's a bit too well organised.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20But, you know, you bump into people,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23don't you, and when you bump into people that's your opportunity,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25as was the case just a few minutes ago, just here.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28It's a good moment to have a conversation.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32INAUDIBLE CONVERSATION
0:24:35 > 0:24:37The trade union bill is running up against
0:24:37 > 0:24:39the end of the Parliamentary session,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42when all bills must be agreed by both Houses
0:24:42 > 0:24:44or they won't make it into law.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Message from the Lords!
0:24:48 > 0:24:52When the two Houses begin to disagree,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56and therefore they send back amendments backwards and forwards,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00this process is colloquially known as ping pong.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04I suppose the ping is when it goes back from the House of Lords
0:25:04 > 0:25:05to the House of Commons,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07and the pong is when it comes back
0:25:07 > 0:25:09from the House of Commons to the House of Lords.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12If the Government and the Commons
0:25:12 > 0:25:14chooses to reject the Lords' amendments,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18it risks being timed out and losing the bill.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Occasionally there's a row, particularly towards the end of the session
0:25:23 > 0:25:25when time is tight between issues
0:25:25 > 0:25:28that the House of Commons want passed
0:25:28 > 0:25:31and because the Government has no majority in the House of Lords,
0:25:31 > 0:25:37it encourages the Opposition to dig their heels in and make life a bit
0:25:37 > 0:25:39more difficult for the Government.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42I'd like to say there is a mutual respect, but sometimes,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45here you are, you see, just a few hundred yards between the two,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48sometimes it's a gulf as big as the Atlantic Ocean.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Away from the Westminster bubble,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57the refugee crisis in Europe is escalating.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Lord Dubs's amendment to allow
0:25:59 > 0:26:03refugee children into Britain is part of the ping pong.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It has passed in the Lords, but been rejected by the Commons.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16I was obviously disappointed that the Commons overturned the amendment.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18I'd hoped for a better outcome.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It does make me more determined.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27There are no parents or anybody to support them.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Some of them have been on their own, doing a difficult journey,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33perhaps it's taken them a year or so, so they are pretty vulnerable.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35But, of course, they put a brave face on it.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40All I've argued along is that we should take our share,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42we shouldn't take them all, we can't do that.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45We should take our share of these young people,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and that's a fairly small thing to ask, really.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51He submitted another amendment,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53which demands some children be allowed in,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57though not the 3,000 he was originally asking for.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59It's a slightly softer amendment,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01but the key principle is still there.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06There are a number of people who feel that we shouldn't vote again on
0:27:06 > 0:27:09an issue which the Commons has overturned.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14But I would argue that there are certain occasions when the issue is
0:27:14 > 0:27:18so important, it is such a matter of principle in humanitarian terms,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20in terms of human rights,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24that it is proper for the Commons to have to think again,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26not just once but more than once.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Lord West has a very different issue which needs an answer from
0:27:35 > 0:27:38the Government before term ends.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Hello, have you got a copy of my question on Boaty McBoatface?
0:27:42 > 0:27:44OK, let me have a look.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47A public poll to choose a name for a new polar research ship
0:27:47 > 0:27:52has voted overwhelmingly for the name Boaty McBoatface.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Ah, lovely, thank you very much indeed.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Lord West isn't happy about it.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59The question was "to ask Her Majesty's Government
0:27:59 > 0:28:02"in the light of the fact that the Royal research ship being built
0:28:02 > 0:28:06"for the British Antarctic Survey is a ship and not a boat,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09"what is their assessment of the suitability of the name
0:28:09 > 0:28:12"Boaty McBoatface for that vessel?"
0:28:12 > 0:28:15It's all very amusing, and I think you get what you ask for, don't you?
0:28:15 > 0:28:18If you ask the British public to come up with some ideas,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22they come up with very amusing ideas like Boaty McBoatface and Usain Boat
0:28:22 > 0:28:25and Boatimus Prime, all these names that were put in.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Well, I can call it Shippy McShipface...
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Could be very, very difficult if one said it quickly,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35I think it would be very awkward.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47It is March, and the day of the big vote on party funding in
0:28:47 > 0:28:48the trade union bill.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Labour Lords will need other rebel Lords to support them if
0:28:51 > 0:28:53they are to defeat the Government.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Yes, trade union bill today.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58There's obviously a bit more of a buzz in the air.
0:28:58 > 0:28:59I'm well, thank you.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04We've got quite a few of the Lords that don't take part in anything
0:29:04 > 0:29:07in the House, they don't come in if they don't need to,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10but they do have to come in, they say, when there's a division.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13The cafes are fuller, the restaurant,
0:29:13 > 0:29:15the bars are fuller, definitely.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Going around, you get a feeling very quickly there's a sort of tension.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34People who are normally really friendly and easy-going are a little bit grumpy, that sort of thing.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35There are some of us, like me,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38who are not deeply, deeply political, who,
0:29:38 > 0:29:42you know, we sort of bumble around, but you can certainly feel it.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48- Hello there. - You're here.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50We need to talk...
0:29:50 > 0:29:55'We've been e-mailing, texting, writing, phoning people,
0:29:55 > 0:30:00'just to make sure that they are here for this really important vote.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03'The biggest problem for us today is making sure they stay,'
0:30:03 > 0:30:07because we're expecting a really late vote today.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Well, certain people are here that you don't normally see.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15In the old days it used to be Mrs Thatcher, or Lady Thatcher.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Now, I don't know who...
0:30:17 > 0:30:21Sometimes Lord Mandelson is a bit of a giveaway.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30The doorkeepers are supposed to know every one of the peers by sight.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33I've been here two and a bit years
0:30:33 > 0:30:38and I think I'm on about 80% ish, on a good day.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42But there's always one that you get stuck on.
0:30:45 > 0:30:46Er, no... Baroness, no.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51'But the ones that catch you out
0:30:51 > 0:30:53'are the ones who aren't regular attenders,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56'and you won't see them for months and months and months
0:30:56 > 0:30:58'and then they show up,'
0:30:58 > 0:31:00and you just think, "I have no idea."
0:31:06 > 0:31:11I'm relatively weak, I think, on the crossbenchers, and also the bishops.
0:31:13 > 0:31:14Because...
0:31:16 > 0:31:18..I find that bishops all look very similar.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Dressing up to go into church is familiar to us,
0:31:26 > 0:31:28so this isn't so peculiar.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Fortunately now we have allowed mobile phones and other devices
0:31:32 > 0:31:34in the chamber on silent,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37because it's really difficult to read your watch
0:31:37 > 0:31:40with these round your wrists.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48Labour need every vote they can get.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51Their Chief Whip, Lord Bassam,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55is going low-tech to make sure everyone is here.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Like a school register, yes, but it's a rolling one.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02When you're at school, you do it at nine o'clock,
0:32:02 > 0:32:04or five to nine, I think it was when I was a kid.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Now they come in during the course of the morning
0:32:07 > 0:32:10and afternoon and they let me know that they're here.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- Here we are. - Hello.- I'm here.
0:32:14 > 0:32:15Ah, fantastic.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19I'm always pleased to see you, and I'm always pleased to see David.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21Very good.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24It's a very simple technique, and it works!
0:32:24 > 0:32:27- OK, cheers.- Cheers, thanks a lot.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31There are no good excuses.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34You know, people do have to look at their diaries and they do have to
0:32:34 > 0:32:36think about organising their priorities.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation
0:32:38 > 0:32:39to hope that they can be here
0:32:39 > 0:32:42when pretty much the future of the Labour Party's at stake.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46INAUDIBLE CONVERSATIONS
0:32:51 > 0:32:54It's amazing what nooks and crannies of this funny building,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57that you sometimes find yourself in having a conversation.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00I won't tell you where I was earlier this morning...
0:33:00 > 0:33:04It was the sort of place that only male peers would be allowed to go,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07but we had a very useful conversation there.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09- Hiya.- Have you seen Anita?
0:33:09 > 0:33:11I haven't seen Anita.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Right, so who've I got left?
0:33:13 > 0:33:16Anita, Una is not in yet.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Right, we're all done.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21We need to keep them here now, that's the challenge, isn't it?
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- That's always the challenge. - Yes, we'll see how it goes.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28- I think we're doing OK, though. - Very good.- Right, see you later.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32There is a tendency, amongst some members,
0:33:32 > 0:33:36to approach the whole issue of voting and division not with head or heart,
0:33:36 > 0:33:38but with stomach.
0:33:38 > 0:33:39If the stomach is rumbling
0:33:39 > 0:33:41and people think they'd like to get away for supper,
0:33:41 > 0:33:45it's very difficult to keep them here for a big vote.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49So what have we got here?
0:33:49 > 0:33:54We've got sirloin of beef, scallops, cured pigeon,
0:33:54 > 0:33:55mustard macaroon.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Pulled ham hock...
0:33:58 > 0:33:59Very nice.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Smoked salmon, my favourite.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05Potted brown shrimps and sourdough.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07Sounds like they do well, doesn't it, really?
0:34:11 > 0:34:12Hello, darling.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16Oh, do you remember where Mummy said I was going to be this evening,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19can you remember? We were talking about it.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23Yes, that's right, sweetie, yeah, Big Ben and Parliament.
0:34:23 > 0:34:24Well done, darling.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Bye, bye, bye.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30There's definitely a reason to be here,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33but sometimes you're literally just waiting and waiting and waiting,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36and then when the vote doesn't happen, you want to die.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42I do wish to test the opinion of the House.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43Hear, hear.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46My Lords, as many are of that opinion will say content.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49- Content.- To the contrary, not content.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Not content.
0:34:51 > 0:34:52Clear the bar.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Just after six, the vote is called.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59The result will show whether rebellious Lords are still prepared
0:34:59 > 0:35:01to stand up to the Government.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04- Division.- Division!- Division!
0:35:04 > 0:35:05BELL RINGS
0:35:15 > 0:35:16Sorry! Thank you.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26The Government have got a strong whip on,
0:35:26 > 0:35:31and I think they will have somewhere in the region of 210 people here.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37But, of course, they've all got to vote for the Government.
0:35:37 > 0:35:38Not all of them will, hopefully.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45It's not just whether we win or not, it's by how many we win,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48because the bigger the victory here in the House of Lords,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51then the more pressure we can put on the Government.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56Supporters of the cross-party amendment flood through the content lobby.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06On the Government side, there are some notable absences.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12Rather than vote against the Government, I said I'll be absent,
0:36:12 > 0:36:14so I'm going to take my wife out for dinner.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Conservative Lord Cormack is going a step further and is voting against
0:36:22 > 0:36:23the Government.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Nice to see a Tory face, excellent, thank you very much.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35How does it feel walking through that other lobby?
0:36:35 > 0:36:36Well, I've done it before.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40I've done it before, both in this House and the other one.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43If you believe something
0:36:43 > 0:36:45is very important, and you're going to stand up for it,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49then you have to put your vote with your voice.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05My Lords, there have voted
0:37:05 > 0:37:09contents 320,
0:37:09 > 0:37:14not contents 172, therefore the contents have it.
0:37:14 > 0:37:15Hear, hear!
0:37:24 > 0:37:25- Good?- Very good.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28It's good when you win,
0:37:28 > 0:37:32but to win on something as important as this to the trade union member
0:37:32 > 0:37:35and the Labour Party is phenomenal.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38It really takes you into a different place.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Result. Utterly demoralised, that's the way we like it.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43Great news.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47I think it is the biggest margin since the election, yes.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50But I take no delight in that.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52I mean,
0:37:52 > 0:37:54I did what I thought I had to do.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00The amended bill will now go back to the Commons.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02I am very happy, but then, you know,
0:38:02 > 0:38:06until you've actually got Royal assent,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09complete change to a bill like this,
0:38:09 > 0:38:11at the very end of the process,
0:38:11 > 0:38:15you can't start cheering and raising a glass in celebration.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26Hello, My Lady.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31- Morning, Ma'am.- Morning.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34- Thank you.- Have a good day. - You too.- Thank you.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38'The Lords do say that when I'm in a red coat, the summer's here,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40'and they also blame me'
0:38:40 > 0:38:43for when it's raining, which isn't right, but that's the way it goes here.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46The red coat, though, is only a summer coat, so, as you can see,
0:38:46 > 0:38:49it is quite thin. During the winter I have a black woollen coat.
0:38:49 > 0:38:50Hello. However,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53some of the Lords have said that I should have a red woollen coat.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56They've approached Black Rod, he said no.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59Hello.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02One of the Lords also said I should have some for shorts for the summer.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05That's not happening either, not with my legs!
0:39:16 > 0:39:19It's late April, and the game of Parliamentary ping pong in which
0:39:19 > 0:39:23bills bounce between Commons and Lords is about to begin in earnest.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28The Lords' amendment to the trade union bill has been agreed by
0:39:28 > 0:39:32the Government and the Labour Party's funding is protected.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38But it looks like the immigration bill, and Lord Dubs's amendment,
0:39:38 > 0:39:40will go right to the wire.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45In these last days of a session,
0:39:45 > 0:39:50the atmosphere gets slightly more... charged.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58I've called it more poker than ping pong.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03It's a mixture, I think, of politics and tactics and timing.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18PHONE RINGS
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Hello? It's Alf Dubs here.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22When?
0:40:22 > 0:40:24PHONE RINGS
0:40:24 > 0:40:25Hello?
0:40:25 > 0:40:3083-year-old Lord Dubs's amendment on child refugees has sparked a national debate.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32..committee's there...
0:40:32 > 0:40:34PHONE RINGS
0:40:34 > 0:40:36What time would suit you?
0:40:36 > 0:40:37PHONE RINGS
0:40:37 > 0:40:40Ten o'clock at the peers' entrance, yes.
0:40:40 > 0:40:41PHONE RINGS
0:40:41 > 0:40:44I had an invitation for the 22nd, 23rd and 24th.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51..OK, bye-bye.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55Oh, God.
0:40:55 > 0:41:02- What's that?- It's just an interview for Channel 5, Channel 5 News.
0:41:02 > 0:41:03Oh, dear.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05PHONE RINGS
0:41:07 > 0:41:08'It's ridiculous, really.
0:41:08 > 0:41:09'I want a quiet life.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14'It's difficult to say no,
0:41:14 > 0:41:18'because it helps put pressure on the Government to have more'
0:41:18 > 0:41:21sympathetic coverage in the media, so I suppose it's worth doing,
0:41:21 > 0:41:22but it's got a bit out of hand.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29PHONE RINGS
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Judging by the number of messages I've had from people I've never met
0:41:32 > 0:41:36before, in terms of public opinion, my sense is it's pretty popular.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38I think the public support for this, I hope,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40will help to make the Government think again.
0:41:42 > 0:41:47It's not just in the palace that Lords and Commons are at loggerheads.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51MPs and Lords are limbering up for the annual Parliamentary boat race.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54I'm looking forward to it.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58It is the one event that the Lords has the edge on the Commons.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Having a captain as youthful
0:42:00 > 0:42:03as ours, in Lord Taylor, who's in his 70s.
0:42:04 > 0:42:05We have trained.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08I know the Lords have been out and they managed to swamp
0:42:08 > 0:42:09their boat.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13We've had some quite eventful times, you may have heard,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16where the Commons' boat sunk and we haven't sunk yet,
0:42:16 > 0:42:20but I don't want to be too optimistic.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Always like to try and make sure that those democratically elected
0:42:25 > 0:42:26come out on top.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29I think we've got some very fit and active people,
0:42:29 > 0:42:31so we're very hopeful.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35In the Commons they say something like
0:42:35 > 0:42:36that bunch of superannuated silly
0:42:36 > 0:42:39old idiots who've gone up there, let's forget about them.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41And then that adds to the tension.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46It's thoroughly good to thrash the other place in everything that one does.
0:42:48 > 0:42:53Previously, the Commons have won five races to the Lords' four.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56But the Lords are hopeful that this year they will draw even.
0:42:56 > 0:43:01OK, both crews. Please make yourselves ready to race.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04They're taking their bloody time, aren't they?
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Attention. Go!
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Come on, the Lords!
0:43:17 > 0:43:19The Commons' boat sort of seem to be striking quite well.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22There's a bit of a horlicks in the Lords boat, it looks like it.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25We seem to have one oar that's not working at all in the Lords boat,
0:43:25 > 0:43:27for some obscure reason.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Come on, the Lords!
0:43:30 > 0:43:32It looks to me as though the Commons are slightly ahead,
0:43:32 > 0:43:34I hope they didn't cheat at the start.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Oh, dear. Well, I'm afraid the Commons have won it,
0:43:37 > 0:43:41that's one of those things. I think we had a broken rod.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43They probably sabotaged our boat.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52But not all is lost for Lord West.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55The Government has overruled the public vote.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59Boaty McBoatface has been sunk and will instead be called
0:43:59 > 0:44:02the RRS Sir David Attenborough.
0:44:02 > 0:44:06I'm delighted now they've come down with a name that's sort of acceptable.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09I mean, normally ships are named after people who are dead,
0:44:09 > 0:44:14not always, and I hope they're not sort of making any judgments about
0:44:14 > 0:44:15how long he'll live for.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18The decisions have to be made in the other place,
0:44:18 > 0:44:19in the Commons, obviously.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22That's absolutely right, because they're voted and we're not.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25But at least we're able to get things moving and make people think about these problems.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Lift your left arm.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29Left arm...
0:44:31 > 0:44:33It's like playing in Mum's dressing up box, isn't it?
0:44:33 > 0:44:34Yeah.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38The final Acts of Parliament will be signed into law in a ceremony
0:44:38 > 0:44:39at the end of the session.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45But first, the House of Lords' top brass must rehearse.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48The actual ceremony is very quick and easy.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51It's a bit of a faff to set up.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53That's the front, is it?
0:44:53 > 0:44:56- That way?- It's just like putting a dressing gown on, really.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03But slightly posh, with gold bits.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05This is Lord Laming's old one, my lord.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07Would you like to try that?
0:45:07 > 0:45:09Is there a back and a front?
0:45:09 > 0:45:11It doesn't really matter, does it?
0:45:11 > 0:45:14I think that's fine. That's perfectly comfortable.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Do you want to pretend you're reading?
0:45:17 > 0:45:19We don't want to read, we just need to make sure...
0:45:19 > 0:45:21The Clerk of the Crown will read out
0:45:21 > 0:45:23the short titles of the act,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26and I in each case turn to the Commons and say
0:45:26 > 0:45:29in a good loud voice, "La Reine le veult."
0:45:29 > 0:45:34'La Reine le veult is simply Norman French for the Queen wishes it.'
0:45:34 > 0:45:36La Reine le veult.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39Does anyone actually speak Norman French any more, apart from us?
0:45:42 > 0:45:45House of Commons Members' Fund Act.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53I've done it many times.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57As long as it's properly coordinated and done in an appropriate way,
0:45:57 > 0:45:59choreographed, then I think it's always good fun.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03The trick is getting the timing right, but really,
0:46:03 > 0:46:07I mean, how difficult can all nodding at the same time or doing that be?
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Sorry, sorry.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13Try that one again, sorry!
0:46:15 > 0:46:17The first time you were a little bit slow,
0:46:17 > 0:46:20a little bit late and a little bit slow.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22- Don't worry, David. - We jumped the gun!
0:46:22 > 0:46:25The system here's working well.
0:46:25 > 0:46:26I jumped the gun.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31'I saw them practising this morning,'
0:46:31 > 0:46:34I said to them they reminded me of Gilbert and Sullivan,
0:46:34 > 0:46:36and we don't want that kind of image.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40The second chamber should be looking at how we deal with legislation in
0:46:40 > 0:46:42a proper, effective manner,
0:46:42 > 0:46:45and this kind of thing distracts from it.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57With just days to go before the end of the session,
0:46:57 > 0:47:01Lord Dubs is about to make his case to the Lords a second time.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05Basically, it will leave unaccompanied child refugees
0:47:05 > 0:47:07in a vulnerable position.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10None of us would want our own children to be subject to that
0:47:10 > 0:47:12sort of environment.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16I've been astonished at the amount of popular support there's been,
0:47:16 > 0:47:20and as a country with strong humanitarian traditions
0:47:20 > 0:47:24I believe we can do better. I beg to move.
0:47:24 > 0:47:25Hear, hear!
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Peers must now vote on whether, yet again,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36they will defy the Government
0:47:36 > 0:47:38and bat the amendment back to the Commons.
0:47:38 > 0:47:39BELL RINGS
0:47:43 > 0:47:48We do not have the right, in my view, as unelected people,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51to overrule the Commons. They're the elected ones,
0:47:51 > 0:47:54they have the final say and they should always have the final say.
0:47:57 > 0:48:02There comes a time when you have to say, thus far, no further,
0:48:02 > 0:48:07and the body that has to drop the bat
0:48:07 > 0:48:10at the end of the ping pong is the House of Lords.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18There is a degree of doubt as to how far either side is going to take the
0:48:18 > 0:48:19game of poker.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25'I'm not good at predicting these things,
0:48:25 > 0:48:28'but if one believes in something, I think one should go on pushing it,
0:48:28 > 0:48:31'because all my experience of politics is that if you have
0:48:31 > 0:48:33'an issue that's worth it and you keep pushing it,'
0:48:33 > 0:48:37quite often in the end something positive will happen as a result.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45I'm going to be really honest that I can't quite tell you how it's
0:48:45 > 0:48:49looking, even though I've just come out of the voting lobby.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52There aren't as many as sometimes when we win by a lot.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54It's also later in the evening
0:48:54 > 0:48:57and they kind of drop off the later it goes.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08My Lords, there have voted
0:49:08 > 0:49:12contents 279, not contents 172.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14So the contents have it.
0:49:24 > 0:49:25We just won, we just won.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29That is great, see, House of Lords, rocking.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32- Speech! - APPLAUSE
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Speech!
0:49:45 > 0:49:47HUBBUB OF CONVERSATION
0:49:56 > 0:49:59'I'm gratified and delighted that there was such support.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03'I think the Government will have a job to dig themselves out of this.'
0:50:03 > 0:50:06So I think we may get something, we may win something.
0:50:06 > 0:50:08Something, I hope.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19Just a few days before the end of the session,
0:50:19 > 0:50:20Lord Dubs gets some news.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23I haven't come to terms with it yet, you know.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25It's only just happened.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29I still can't quite believe it, to be honest.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31His amendment has been accepted by the Prime Minister.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34- Congratulations.- We've won, yes. - Yeah, well, that's very impressive.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37I watched Prime Minister's Questions. I just mentioned it to some colleagues.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39- Oh, that's good. - You must be delighted.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42I'm delighted. I'm absolutely delighted, yes.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44Well, your place in heaven is now secure.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48My place in heaven! Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50- Will you be joining me? - Well, I'll try.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58- Just coming back. I came back last night.- Oh, wow.
0:50:58 > 0:50:59I was in the refugee camps.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02Met the kids. And, you know, fantastic.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05- People are talking about what you're doing here, and...- Oh, well.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07- It's wonderful, well done. - Oh, well, thank you very much.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09- Fantastic.- Well, look, it's only a small amendment.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12- But we're moving them. - Yeah, OK.- In the right direction.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Thanks.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Lord Dubs, are you pleased that the Prime Minister's finally moved,
0:51:20 > 0:51:23or are you disappointed that he had to be brought to this position
0:51:23 > 0:51:24kicking and screaming?
0:51:24 > 0:51:26Well, the outcome is what matters,
0:51:26 > 0:51:28and the outcome is that a lot of,
0:51:28 > 0:51:31or a number of vulnerable unaccompanied child refugees
0:51:31 > 0:51:34in Europe will find safety and a decent home in Britain.
0:51:34 > 0:51:35That's what matters.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44I'm going to disappear into anonymity after all this.
0:51:44 > 0:51:50I can't sustain... Can't sustain this level of excitement, you know?
0:51:50 > 0:51:54Can't do it! So a bit of quiet anonymity would do me good.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03But Lord Dubs' rest is short-lived.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06Only about 350 unaccompanied children would be allowed in before
0:52:06 > 0:52:08the Government shut the door again.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12He's fighting the decision.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21It is now the end of the session.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26INDISTINCT SHOUT
0:52:28 > 0:52:32'Well, there've been some tense moments in the last few weeks.'
0:52:32 > 0:52:36There have never been so many Government defeats
0:52:36 > 0:52:37in the modern era.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40It's unusual, and it's unprecedented.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42Although the Lords has challenged
0:52:42 > 0:52:44the Government robustly with amendments
0:52:44 > 0:52:45that have left their mark,
0:52:45 > 0:52:49all Government bills have been passed into law.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53At times, I've felt we were getting very near the edge of that dividing
0:52:53 > 0:52:58line between complementary and trashing the Government's business.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02I think we've now ended up on the right side of that line,
0:53:02 > 0:53:04and that's a very good thing.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Members of the Commons are now summoned to the Lords,
0:53:09 > 0:53:13where the bills are formally agreed.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15Immigration Act.
0:53:17 > 0:53:18La Reine le veult.
0:53:20 > 0:53:21Energy Act.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25La Reine le veult.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31The battle between the two Houses has reached a delicate truce.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34But the threat of Lord Strathclyde's review
0:53:34 > 0:53:37will still hang over the Lords when the new term starts.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41They just need to learn the lessons from this session,
0:53:41 > 0:53:45do the scrutiny which the House of Lords is so good at
0:53:45 > 0:53:46and the revision,
0:53:46 > 0:53:50but not necessarily to be a block to the will of the elected House.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59It's May. And the countdown has started to the Queen's Speech,
0:53:59 > 0:54:03when the monarch comes to Parliament to open a new session.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05Everyone wants a seat.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09And the exploding size of the House, now with over 800 members,
0:54:09 > 0:54:11becomes impossible to ignore.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15It's just luck of the draw, exactly that, the draw.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Here we are at Black Rod's office.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20Nicola looks after me very well,
0:54:20 > 0:54:22but she's completely fair about the draw,
0:54:22 > 0:54:23which is really irksome.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26So no matter how much I butter her up, it doesn't make any difference.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28The good news is that your daughter
0:54:28 > 0:54:30was successful in the eldest daughter's ballot
0:54:30 > 0:54:32in the chamber, so she'll have a standing place.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35- Lovely.- You weren't successful in the robe ballot, I'm afraid.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37No, I never am. So I'm going to have to pay for that.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40So that's it, sell another grandchild.
0:54:43 > 0:54:44Staff have just a week to turn
0:54:44 > 0:54:47the palace from a place of work to a stage set.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49She's coming.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52The Queen. Elizabeth.
0:54:54 > 0:54:55Ma'am!
0:54:57 > 0:54:59- What's this?- That's where the...
0:54:59 > 0:55:01The thing goes on top of it.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04- What thing?- Like, a big sword thing.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09This time of year, everyone sort of comes together,
0:55:09 > 0:55:11and sort of like mucks in.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15You've got to get it done on time.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22Have you got the black paint?
0:55:22 > 0:55:24- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26No-one can change the date.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28We know when the Queen's coming.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31Little room for manoeuvre on this one.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34We can't ask her to go around the block a couple of times
0:55:34 > 0:55:35while we're not ready.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42The Queen's representative in Parliament, Black Rod,
0:55:42 > 0:55:43will be the master of ceremonies.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46Everybody's very motivated.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50All our people who've got a hand in this really want it to be tiptop.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Nobody wants to be picked up on the Black Rod's inspection
0:55:53 > 0:55:54for having not done something.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57Good morning, sir, how are you?
0:55:59 > 0:56:01It doesn't need power washing,
0:56:01 > 0:56:03just someone with a bucket and brush
0:56:03 > 0:56:05just to get the blobs of bird shit away.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10We normally leave him something to find, to be honest with you.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13Because as soon as he's found something, he normally moves on to the next room.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15He's a stickler for the smallest of detail,
0:56:15 > 0:56:18like if there's a screw that we've left on a carpet somewhere,
0:56:18 > 0:56:20he'll actually see it from a distance.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22I'm not sure if he brings the screws up himself
0:56:22 > 0:56:24and leaves them lying about
0:56:24 > 0:56:26so he can pick them up, but he's quite funny like that.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30And straight lines, we have to have straight lines everywhere.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32Ex-military, what do you expect?
0:56:37 > 0:56:39From her throne in the Lords, the Queen will announce
0:56:39 > 0:56:43the Government's plans for the coming year.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46Some expect House of Lords reform to be on the agenda.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51Should there be an age limit when they have to retire?
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Should there be a certain amount of time that they spend in here?
0:56:54 > 0:56:56They say there's too many,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59but how do you govern what numbers we have in the House?
0:57:00 > 0:57:03I have some ideas, but they're probably best kept to myself.
0:57:03 > 0:57:04Hello, Sir.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08- Have a good day, My Lord.- Thank you.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13Next time - the Queen comes to Parliament.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15I am going to get out of my trainers.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18- Eventually.- That's my concession for Her Majesty.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22But the Palace looks like it's crumbling down.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24We're running out of buckets.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29Almost every area of the parliamentary estate has had
0:57:29 > 0:57:31some type of water damage today.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35And Brexit hits the Lords with a bang.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37This is much bigger than anything
0:57:37 > 0:57:41I've encountered during my political lifetime.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44It will open up a firestorm of resentment in the country.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47As many of that opinion would say content.
0:57:47 > 0:57:48Content.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53Are you interested in finding out more about the House of Lords
0:57:53 > 0:57:56and the role it plays in the UK's political system?
0:57:56 > 0:57:58Go to...
0:58:00 > 0:58:02And follow the links to the Open University.