The House of Lords used to have a complete veto on the Commons. That changed after a row over the blocking of the then chancellor David Lloyd George's budget in 1909. It sparked a general election, with Lords reform on the ballot. The re-elected Liberal government passed the Parliament Act 1911, stripping that veto power in almost all circumstances, though it does allow delay. In 1949, that delaying power was reduced to a year.
But there are crucial differences this time around - not least the adoption of the social security bill. So what happens now? Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was on Monday consulting with political parties, ahead of a cabinet meeting expected Monday evening for the urgent presentation of a special law intended to provide temporary funding for the state and government agencies despite the lack of a budget, before parliamentary debates resume in January.
Across the creative and business community, across parliament, people are gobsmacked that the government is playing parliamentary chess with their livelihoods.
