Why the United Kingdom is moving to finally remove hereditary peers from its legislature

Science · Published 20 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The British government is pursuing a legislative overhaul to eliminate the remaining hereditary seats in the House of Lords. While the 1999 reforms were intended as a temporary compromise, these seats have persisted for decades. This new bill marks the first phase of a broader plan to modernize the second chamber.

The House of Lords Act 1999 originally sought to end the practice of holding legislative power through hereditary titles. However, a compromise allowed 90 hereditary peers, plus the Earl Marshal and the Lord Great Chamberlain, to retain their seats. This arrangement was intended to be a brief transition period before more comprehensive changes were enacted. Because a consensus on those wider reforms never materialized, these members have remained in the chamber for over 25 years.

The current government views this hereditary presence as an outdated anomaly, noting that no other comparable Western democracy grants legislative membership by right of birth. Furthermore, unlike life peers, hereditary members are not subject to standard propriety checks. To address this, the government introduced the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill in September 2024. This legislation aims to repeal section 2 of the 1999 Act, effectively ending the statutory exception that has allowed these individuals to sit and vote.

Beyond removing hereditary peers, the government’s reform agenda includes introducing a mandatory retirement age of 80, establishing new participation requirements, and improving the chamber's regional and national balance. In the long term, there is an ambition to replace the House of Lords entirely with a new second chamber designed to better reflect the diverse regions and nations of the United Kingdom. Public consultation is expected to play a role in shaping these future proposals as the parliament progresses.

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