It reduced the power of the House of Lords to delay certain types of legislation – specifically public bills other than money bills – by amending the Parliament Act 1911.

Following the Labour Party's election in 1945, Attlee's government was worried that the Lords would delay their nationalisation programme.

This two-year period meant that legislation introduced in the fourth or fifth years of a parliament could be delayed until after the next election, which could prove an effective measure to prevent its being passed.

If this were the case, then the Commons could not empower itself through the 1949 act without direct permission from the Lords.

[7] It was concluded that the 1911 act was not primarily about empowering the Commons, but rather was about restricting the ability of the Lords to affect legislation.