The United Kingdom has taken a major step toward modernising its political system after Parliament approved legislation that abolishes the remaining hereditary seats in the House of Lords,
ending a centuries-old tradition that allowed aristocrats to sit in the upper chamber by birthright.
Lawmakers in the House of Lords passed the Hereditary Peers Bill on Tuesday evening, completing a reform process that began more than two decades ago. The move delivers on a key election promise by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government to reshape and modernise the unelected upper chamber of Parliament.
Angela Smith, leader of the House of Lords, welcomed the decision, emphasising that parliamentary membership should not be determined by inherited titles.
“The Lords play a vital role in our bicameral parliamentary system, but no one should hold a seat simply because of the family they were born into,” Smith said in a statement. She described the legislation as the first step in a broader reform agenda, with further proposals expected to address retirement rules and participation requirements for members.
Completing a reform started in 1999
Before the new law, 92 hereditary peers still retained the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords. Their presence dated back centuries but was largely reduced during reforms introduced in 1999 by former Prime Minister Tony Blair. At the time, Blair removed more than 600 hereditary peers, calling the system an outdated relic of Britain’s aristocratic past.
The remaining hereditary members were kept as a temporary compromise during those earlier reforms. The new legislation now removes that final group, completing the overhaul first envisioned more than 25 years ago.
Under the transition arrangements, around 15 Conservative hereditary peers are expected to receive life peerages, allowing them to remain in the chamber. The Conservative Party will decide which members are nominated.
Debate over the future of the House of Lords
The House of Lords, located in the ornate red-and-gold chamber of the Palace of Westminster, currently has roughly 800 members. Most are appointed for life by the prime minister on the advice of political parties or an independent appointments commission. The chamber also includes bishops from the Church of England.
Critics have long argued that the appointment system encourages political favoritism and has contributed to making the Lords the largest upper chamber in the world—larger even than the 650 elected members of the House of Commons.
Although the Lords cannot ultimately block legislation, it plays an influential role by scrutinising government bills and proposing amendments. The elected Commons can override any changes made by the upper chamber.
The removal of hereditary peers is widely seen as a symbolic yet significant step toward reforming one of Britain’s oldest political institutions. The government has signalled that further changes to the structure and functioning of the House of Lords could follow in the coming years. Photo by UK government, Wikimedia commons.
