It would appear that every Opposition party promises sweeping House of Lords reform while every government roundly fails to make any meaningful progress in that domain. What challenges will Keir Starmer's new Labour government face when it comes to constitutional and Parliamentary reform? Meg Russell, now Professor of Politics at University College London and Director of the UCL Constitution Unit, was Special Adviser to Robin Cook as Leader of the House in 2001-3. She joins Michael and Mems to discuss the dynamic between the Prime Minister and Parliament; the need for reform in the House of Commons; the politics of House of Lords appointments; and the endlessly frustrating challenge of achieving meaningful reform to the upper house. Lessons in Power is a SPERI Presents... podcast. Professor Michael Jacobs and Mems Ayinla interview ministers and advisors from the New Labour administration (1997-2010) to tease out lessons on a range of issues for Keir Starmer’s newly formed Labour government. This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… working group, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley, Andrew Hindmoor, Mems Ayinla and Michael Jacobs. This episode was edited by Michael Jacobs and Remi Edwards. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.