J.H. Whitley Lecture: Reforming the Second Chamber

The 11^th Annual Whitley Lecture takes place on Thursday 19 October at 5.15pm at the University of Huddersfield.

The J.H. Whitley lecture series began in 2012 following the Whitley family's generous donation of the J.H. Whitley collection in October 2011 with the University of Huddersfield. This fascinating archive is owned by the University and it includes books, journals, newspaper articles and letters from J.H. Whitley’s career in politics and public service. The collection continues to be an invaluable resource for researchers, students and scholars.

This year's lecture will be delivered by Baroness Ann Taylor.

Baroness Ann Taylor is one of The Labour Party’s most experienced politicians, serving as MP for Bolton West 1974-1983 and for Dewsbury 1987-2005.

She has held many senior positions both in government and opposition, including Shadow Secretary of State for Education. In 1997 she became the first female Leader of the House of Commons and the first female Government Chief Whip.

She was Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee from 2001-2005 and became a Life Peer in 2005. In the House of Lords she has served as Minister for Defence Equipment and Support and Minister for International Defence and Security, as a Representative on the Council of Europe and the Western European Union and also on the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

Baroness Taylor also has strong local links as a graduate and former Chair of Council at Bradford University.

Lords Reform

The topic of this year’s lecture is the question of ‘Lords Reform’ which has returned to prominence in developing Labour Party policy ahead of the next General Election. It also has links with J.H. Whitley a hundred years ago. J.H. Whitley was Liberal MP for Halifax 1900-1928 and Speaker of the House of Commons 1921-1928.

Prior to the 1911 Parliament Act he called for the abolition of the House of Lords and on retirement as Speaker he declined the traditional reward of a hereditary viscountcy.

On this subject Baroness Taylor says: “There are many criticisms of our Parliamentary system and for some an easy fix is reform of the House of Lords. I want to explain why the issue is much more complex than many think and how the House of Lords actually makes a very positive contribution.”

The lecture is free, however, online registration is required here: 11^th Annual Whitley Lecture