Understanding the chamber is now essential to understanding politics and parliament in Britain.

At the end of the last session, 180 women were Members of the House of Lords (22 per cent), including those on leave of absence, disqualified or suspended.

The Liberal Democrats had the highest proportion of female peers (29 per cent), followed by Labour (28 per cent), Conservatives with 18 per cent.

As the second chamber of the Westminster parliament, the House of Lords has a central position in British politics, but it is far less well-studied and well understood than the House of Commons.