Two long-delayed accountability issues reach the House of Lords this week. Cohabitation rights, the conduct of undercover policing, and genocide determination are on the agenda in second reading debates on July 17. All three have been subject to years of parliamentary inaction.
Cohabitation reform has been recommended by the Law Commission since 2007. Millions of unmarried couples in England and Wales have no automatic right to each other's property or assets if the relationship ends, unlike married couples or civil partners. Scotland enacted its own cohabitation law under the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006, which came into force on 4 May 2006. No Commons government bill has yet reached the statute book.
The government's position is not that it has ignored the issue. Ministers have opened the 'A fairer end to relationships' consultation on cohabitation reform, which runs until 14 August 2026 — described in a written parliamentary answer as 'a matter of utmost importance.' The consultation will 'consider how best to strengthen the rights of cohabitating couples and the circumstances in which protections may apply, while firmly upholding marriage as one of our most important institutions,' said justice minister Alex Davies-Jones. Critics counter that the Law Commission made detailed proposals nearly 20 years ago and that the consultation offers no guarantee of legislation within this Parliament.
The undercover policing debate follows the long-running Undercover Policing Inquiry, which has been examining the conduct of officers who infiltrated political and campaign groups — in some cases forming intimate relationships with activists under false identities. The inquiry began taking oral evidence in November 2020. By 2025 it had cost £102 million, with an additional £68.6 million in policing costs. The government passed the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which addresses policing integrity and misconduct standards, but the inquiry's specific recommendations on undercover infiltration have not yet been translated into primary legislation.
Members are also set to consider prohibiting airlines from separating family groups, and airport expansion. Further debates will cover ticket touting, gambling advertisements, grassroots sports and free-to-air broadcasts.
Thirty-seven bills were announced in the 2026 King's Speech. None of the three issues being debated on July 17 featured among them as standalone legislation. The Lords second reading stage carries no binding power — but it puts ministers on record about when, if ever, they intend to act.