RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. Britain's House of Lords has endured much criticism in recent years with commoners calling their nonelected power a relic of the past. And the lords did not do themselves any favors when it emerged that they rejected a cost-saving move to merge catering services with the House of Commons. The upper house did not want to relinquish control over the choice of champagne, suggesting, if they did, the quality of the bubbly would suffer. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.