Who is in the House of Lords, what’s a hereditary peer, how are members appointed and can they stop Brexit?
No-one in the House of Lords is elected and there are calls for reform or even scrapping it altogether
THE House of Lords has been under intense scrutiny, with the Government fighting off the chamber's first challenge against Brexit.
It has been feared that unelected peers who sit in the second chamber could thwart the will of the people to leave the EU, but they voted against an amendment to the Brexit Bill demanding the UK retains membership of the single market.
The House was the subject of BBC documentary Meet The Lords, which was slammed by Lord Fowler, the speaker, for "sexing up" the realities of the second chamber.
Here is all you need to know about the House of Lords:
Who's in the House of Lords?
In total, there are currently 800 lords or "peers" as they are known sitting in the House of Lords.
They look over Government policy and make it into law by passing a 'bill' which then becomes an 'act of parliament'.
Originally the Lords were “wise men” drawn together to advise Saxon monarchs who ruled more than 1000 years.
Now members of the House of Lords, or peers, may be appointed because they have attained a degree of expertise in areas.
This is because they may be useful in looking over government policy, such as science, economics or policies to run the country.
What is a hereditary peer?
The House of Lords had 1,144 members until 1999, when 666 hereditary peers - people who have inherited their title - lost the automatic right to sit and vote in Parliament after reforms.
This left 92 hereditary peers remaining in the upper chamber.
But they could eventually lose their right to be a peer in fresh round of reforms in the near future.
Bishops and other churchmen and women account for 26 peers sitting in the Lords.
How are members appointed?
Most members of the House of Lords are appointed by the Prime Minister and described as life peers.
A certain number of nominations from the leader of the opposition are also accepted.
Until 2014, it was not possible to be kicked out from the House of Lords - nor was it possible to resign.
But reforms put in place that year have made both these things possible.
What say can the House of Lords have on Brexit?
Britain's Lords are seen as a potential Brexit hurdle for Prime Minister Theresa May's government.
On February 27 they weighed changes that could delay a landmark bill to trigger the EU exit.
Pro-Brexit supporters have warned Britain's upper house of parliament against any hold-ups, warning that the unelected chamber itself could be abolished if it defied the result of the Brexit referendum.
And Michael Heseltine, a top Conservative, said ahead of the hearing that he planned to rebel against the government by pushing for an amendment to ensure a parliamentary vote on any final Brexit deal.
In an article in the Mail on Sunday, Heseltine also suggested that the Brexit decision could be reversed before Britain actually leaves the European Union.
"My opponents will argue that the people have spoken, the mandate secured and the future cast. My experience stands against this argument," he said.
Will the House of Lords be abolished?
There have long been calls to abolish House of Lords because it is not elected by the British public.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has announced plans to abolish the House of Lords as part of plans for a “radical overhaul” of the British constitution.
He says this will “address the growing democratic deficit” across the United Kingdom.
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