Hereditary peers are likely to be removed from the House of Lords within the next few months, following the Labour government’s election manifesto pledge to abolish

these positions.

The Labour Party had committed in its manifesto to reform the House of Lords, with a bill to be introduced in the Commons today aimed at scrapping the 92 remaining hereditary peerages. This move completes reforms initiated by the previous Labour government, which reduced the number of hereditary peers from around 800 to 92 in a compromise with the Conservatives.

In addition to abolishing hereditary peers, Labour has also proposed introducing a retirement age of 80 for members of the Lords, though this change will take place later after a consultation process.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for the Constitution, hailed the reform as a significant constitutional shift, stating, “The hereditary principle in lawmaking has persisted for far too long and is out of sync with modern Britain. The second chamber plays a critical role in our democracy, and people should not be influencing laws simply by an accident of birth.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer supports abolishing the House of Lords entirely and replacing it with an elected Assembly of the Nations and Regions, although this broader reform is not expected to take place before the next general election. Photo by UK government, Wikimedia commons.