Bill passed to remove remaining hereditary peers from House of Lords
Mar 11th 2026
A bill to end the automatic right of the last 92 hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords has passed after a government compromise that includes offering some life peerages and other operational changes.
- Parliament passed the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill to abolish the remaining 92 hereditary seats.
- The government offered life peerages to some Conservatives and crossbenchers, including an understood offer to convert 15 hereditary members, prompting the Conservatives to drop their opposition.
- Up to 92 hereditary peers will leave the Lords when the current parliamentary session ends, expected in May.
- The bill also allows an increase in paid ministers in the Lords and paves the way for further reforms such as retirement ages and minimum participation rules.
- More than 600 hereditary peers were removed in 1999, with 92 retained under a temporary compromise until now.