Peers' Careers: Ministers in the House of Lords, 1964–95 |
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Authors: | Philip Cowley,& David Melhuish |
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Affiliation: | University of Hull |
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Abstract: | Ministers in the Lords are an important and overlooked part of the British executive. This article examines who they are, what careers they have, and speculates about careers in a reformed upper chamber. It finds intra-party differences in the type of peer employed as ministers and in previous education but not (greatly) in previous occupation, concluding that ministers in the Lords remain part of a social élite. The effect of gender is also examined. It examines career paths, finding the development of an apprenticeship system and a glass ceiling which has led to recruitment problems for the Government. Labour's plans for reform, and the consequences for executive recruitment, are also considered. |
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