The UK has taken one of the most significant steps in modern parliamentary reform as the Hereditary Peers Bill passed the House of Lords this week, ending the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in Parliament.
The legislation, which was passed on Tuesday evening, delivers a central Government manifesto commitment and completes reform efforts first begun more than 25 years ago. It represents a major shift in the structure and democratic legitimacy of the second chamber.
Under the current system, 92 excepted hereditary peers – including dukes, viscounts and earls – retain the right to sit and vote in the Lords, elected through internal by‑elections by other hereditary peers. This system was created as a temporary measure after more than 600 hereditary peers were removed by the House of Lords Act 1999.
Once the new Bill takes effect at the end of this parliamentary session, this final hereditary element will be abolished. No future member will sit in the House of Lords solely by virtue of birth.
The UK will join almost every modern democracy in ending inherited legislative power, leaving Lesotho’s Senate as the only major chamber worldwide with remaining hereditary representation.
To ensure the Lords can continue functioning effectively after hereditary peers depart, the Government has committed to offering additional life peerages to both the Official Opposition and Crossbenchers. Decisions on whom to nominate will rest with those groups.
The Government has stated that the Bill marks the first phase of broader reforms to modernise the second chamber. Ministers have made clear their view that seats in the Lords should not be reserved for members of particular families, and that the chamber should reflect principles of service, expertise and democratic accountability rather than birthright.
Leader of the House of Lords Baroness Smith commented:
“The Lords plays a vital role within our bicameral Parliament, but nobody should sit in the House by virtue of an inherited title. That is why the government committed to removing the remaining hereditary peerages, completing the reforms that were started over a quarter of a century ago.
“Getting this bill through is a major first step towards reform of the Lords, with further changes to follow - including on members’ retirement and participation requirements.”
Further proposals for reform are expected later in this Parliament.
The removal of hereditary peers began in 1999 under the House of Lords Act, which dramatically reduced their number but retained a small group as an interim compromise. With the current Bill now passed, that interim measure is finally coming to an end. The change is expected to reshape the composition of the Lords over time, creating a chamber made up exclusively of life peers appointed on merit and contribution.
Image credit: iStock
