The House of Lords may be the place of hereditary peerages, woolsacks and arcane procedures, but today the Chamber ventured into the 21st century when it trialled virtual proceedings for the first time, using Microsoft Teams.
Peers across the country dialled in to a giant conference call chaired by the Lord Speaker, as ministers fielded questions from living rooms and kitchens. And while things went surprisingly well considering the the average age of the House is 70 and the technology was being used for the first time, there were a handful of rather amusing incidents along the way.
Here are Mr Steerpike’s favourite moments from the first session:
The missing minister
Anarchy briefly reigned in the Chamber this afternoon, when a minister set to answer questions, Lord Gardiner, failed to make an appearance. A peeved looking Lord Bishop of St Albans – kitted out with microphone stand and headphones – was unfortunately not given leave to ask his question.
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