The Labour government intends to finally see off the ‘rump’ of Lords who inherited their title. Neil Parpworth analyses the proposed reform
- Potentially ending a process that has lasted a quarter of a century, the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill aims to break the link between the second chamber and hereditary peerage.
- This article examines the Bill, the views of its champions and detractors, and its likely timeline. It also considers other changes the government may try to implement in the House of Lords.
On 5 September 2024, the recently elected Labour government introduced a Bill in Parliament consisting of a mere five clauses. Despite its brevity, the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill is of constitutional importance in that it strives to bring to an end a process which began 25 years ago, when the House of Lords Act 1999 (HLA 1999) first tackled the issue of hereditary peers acting as legislators. While that Act reflected a compromise in the form of a rump of 92 peers being allowed to continue to sit and vote in the House
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