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A significant constitutional change is underway as hereditary peers are set to lose their automatic right to sit in the House of Lords, following the approval of new legislation this week. This move will see the elimination of the 92 remaining hereditary seats at the expiry of the current Parliamentary session, anticipated in May. However, a compromise agreement offers some of these peers an opportunity to continue their role in the chamber, described by one departing peer as a chance to board a “hereditary lifeboat.”
Under this deal, the Conservative Party may convert 15 of its hereditary peers into life peers, allowing them to retain their place in the Lords and continue contributing to legislation until they decide to step down. Labour, which has far fewer hereditary lords, has agreed to this arrangement in exchange for Conservatives retiring some of their existing life peers. Additionally, a number of cross-bench hereditary peers, who represent no political party, are also expected to be allowed to stay. Ultimately, the Prime Minister has the authority to select who will hold seats in the Lords, with nominations first recommended by the Tory leadership in the chamber and then approved by the Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch.
Among those accepting the end of their hereditary right is Charles Courtenay, the Earl of Devon, who entered the Lords in 2018. Despite previously defending the position of hereditary peers, he has acknowledged the public’s sentiment against inherited privilege and chooses not to lobby for a life peerage. “I don’t think we should be using the hereditary privilege we have in the Lords to haggle or negotiate for life peerages,” he said, affirming his acceptance of the reform. Though he will no longer sit and vote, Lord Courtenay will retain his title, reflecting his family’s long history stretching back nearly 900 years. Similarly, Lord Bethell, a former Conservative health minister, announced he will not seek a place among the remaining hereditary peers, signaling his desire to move on from parliamentary life.
The ongoing developments have left some hereditary peers hesitant to speak publicly, with reports indicating that Conservative hereditary members who hold shadow ministerial roles are the most likely to be offered life peerages. Those named as potential nominees include Viscount Camrose, Viscount Younger of Leckie, the Earl of Minto, Lord Keen of Elie, Earl Howe, the Earl of Courtown, the Earl of Effingham, and Lord Strathclyde. Former Lords opposition leader Lord Salisbury has recognized the uncertainty and disappointment felt by many departing hereditary peers but welcomes the fact that some will remain through life peerages to continue their contributions. While the reform has drawn criticism from some quarters outside Parliament, with calls to end all hereditary peerages entirely, the Lord Speaker has publicly acknowledged the valuable service these members have given over the years, despite the constitutional changes set to take effect
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