Protesters have disrupted the House of Lords with chants calling for the abolishment of the chamber.
In footage from the Palace of Westminster, the group of about eight people could be heard shouting 'Lords out, people in' from the public gallery.
One thousand white and yellow leaflets carried by the small crowd of activists were thrown down into the chamber, where Baroness Twycross was speaking.
On one side, the papers, apparently modelled on an album by the Sex Pistols punk band, read: 'Never mind the Lords here's the House of People.'
On the turn, it added: 'Aristocrats and oligarchs: Out.
'Posties, mums, nurses and neighbours: In.
'Replace the House of Lords to save the UK.'
As they were escorted out, the group sang a song urging viewers to 'take back the Commons' and 'raise a glass to Thomas Paine'. They carried a banner saying 'Lords out, people in', which was promptly snatched away by security.
Baroness Twycross, a Labour peer, looked bemused as the white leaflets began to fall around her
As they were escorted out, the group sang a song urging viewers to 'take back the Commons' and 'raise a glass to Thomas Paine'
On one side, the papers, apparently modelled on an album by the Sex Pistols punk band, read: 'Never mind the Lords here's the House of People'
Photos of the House of Lords after the incident showed leaflets remaining caught in the chamber's elaborate clock
Paine, an English-born American Founding Father, penned the Rights of Man in the 1790s - defending the French Revolution. The revolutionary rejected monarchy and aristocracy.
The protesters said they were acting on behalf of Assemble, an organisation that campaigns for the Lords to be abolished and replaced by a citizens' assembly.
They claim their actions mirror the Suffragettes in 1908, when they rained hanbills down onto the House of Commons demanding suffrage for women.
In a fundraiser to help them transform democracy in the UK, they have currently raised a mighty £263 of their £150,000 target over the last six months - a grand total of 1.8 per cent.
Baroness Twycross, a Labour peer, looked bemused as the white leaflets began to fall around her.
She had been delivering a statement on the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe and Japan.
The current Government Whip, she received a life peerage in 2022 as p[art of the Special Honours.
Photos of the House of Lords after the incident showed leaflets remaining caught in the chamber's elaborate clock.
The protesters said they were acting on behalf of Assemble, an organisation that campaigns for the Lords to be abolished and replaced by a citizens' assembly
They carried a banner saying 'Lords out, people in', which was promptly snatched away by security
As they were escorted out, the group sang a song urging viewers to 'take back the Commons' and 'raise a glass to Thomas Paine'
Protester Lucy Porter, 50, a primary school teacher from Leeds, told the PA news agency she was 'campaigning for a house of the people'
The House was adjourned for a short time as the demonstrators were escorted out.
After the primary group had left, another protester rose to her feet to hurl more pamphlets across the chamber.
She proclaimed: 'This is the House of the People, it is not the House of the Privilege. I'm standing here like the Suffragettes once did. Power to the people.'
Protester Lucy Porter, 50, a primary school teacher from Leeds, told the PA news agency she was 'campaigning for a house of the people'.
On the Lords, she said: 'It's a symbol of everything that's outdated.
'We don't have a functioning democracy in this country.'
Citizens' assemblies are selected by sortition, which means members of the public are picked at random via a lottery.
Supporters of this system argue it means a more representative sample of the population are able to come together and debate important issues.
Another demonstrator, who wished to be known only as Christina, said: 'We did this action on behalf of Assemble and the ask is that, instead of a House of Lords, which is a house of unelected wealthy elites, we have a house of the people.
The protest came amid moves at Westminster to reform the Lords by ousting hereditary peers
'So, we have citizens' assemblies where people can participate in real democracy, instead of having everything handed to them from up high.'
Christina Jenkins, 31, a care worker from Cwmbranadded: 'We need a People's House, not a house of wealthy elites. Lords: give up your seat! How can we a real democracy when we're only given the chance to vote once every five years?
'Even then, so many people don't vote because their voices still go unheard.
'Whether it's the spiralling cost of living crisis, insecure housing, wars or the climate crisis, you don't have to look far to see the symptoms of a broken political system.'
Protests by the public in the Lords are prohibited.
Signs there say: 'All demonstrations by strangers in the gallery are out of order and must be treated accordingly.'
The protest came amid moves at Westminster to reform the Lords by ousting hereditary peers.
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which has already been through the Commons, will abolish the 92 seats reserved for members of the upper chamber who are there by right of birth.
The legislation delivers on a promise in Labour's election manifesto and has been promoted as the first step in revamping the House.
But a commitment to introduce a participation requirement and mandatory retirement age of 80 were not included in the Government's current legislative plans.
The administration has said that longer term it wants to replace the Lords with an 'alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations'.
A spokesperson for the House said: 'We are aware of an incident in the public gallery, after which the House briefly adjourned but has now resumed. We will not be commenting further at this time.'
