House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill

A Bill to remove the remaining connection between hereditary peerage and membership of the House of Lords; to make provision about resignation from the House of Lords; to abolish the jurisdiction of the House of Lords in relation to claims to hereditary peerages; and for connected purposes.

This is not the latest version of the Bill

Available Versions

23 Jul 2025
Ping: Pong
Bill 295 2024-25 (Lords Amendments)
(9 amendments)
9 Jul 2025
Lords: Third
HL Bill 122 (as amended on Report)
(8 amendments)
1 Apr 2025
Lords: Report
HL Bill 49 (as brought from the Commons)
(48 amendments)
Awaiting digital version of this Bill to be published by Parliament
13 Nov 2024
Lords: Committee
HL Bill 49 (as brought from the Commons)
(255 amendments)
5 Sep 2024
Commons: Committee
Bill 007 2024-25 (as introduced)
(49 amendments)

Relevant Documents

Bill PDF
HL Bill 122 (as amended on Report)
Latest Amendments
HL Bill 122-I Marshalled list for Third Reading
Explanatory Note
HL Bill 49 Explanatory Notes

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Proposed New Clauses

Page 1

1
Abolition of by-elections for hereditary peers
 
 
(1)
Section 2 of the House of Lords Act 1999 (exception from section 1) is amended
 
 
as follows.
 
 
(2)
For subsection (2) substitute—
 
 
“(2)
No more than 87 people at any one time shall be excepted from section
5
 
1.”
 
 
(3)
For subsection (4) substitute—
 
 
“(4)
Any vacancy resulting from the death, retirement, resignation or
 
 
expulsion of an excepted person under subsection (2) after the day on
 
 
which the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2025 comes into
10
 
force is not to be filled by further exception.
 
2
Unsalaried Ministers
 
 
(1)
No one who is a Minister of the Crown shall be eligible for membership of
 
 
the House of Lords unless they are in receipt of, or have been offered, a salary
 
 
under the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.
15
 
(2)
This section does not apply to Ministers of the Crown appointed before the
 
 
day on which this section comes into effect.
 
3
Rights of life peers to sit in the House of Lords
 
 
(1)
Section 1 of the Life Peerages Act 1958 (power to confer life peerages) is
 
 
amended as follows.
20
 
(2)
At the end of subsection (1) insert “, and, as the case may be, the incidents
 
 
specified in subsection (2A) of this section”.
 

Page 2

 
(3)
Omit from “and” in subsection (2)(a) to the end of subsection (2)(b).
 
 
(4)
After subsection (2), insert—
 
 
“(2A)
A peerage conferred under this section may, if the letters patent so
 
 
state, during the life of the person on whom it is conferred, entitle
 
 
him, subject to subsection (4) of this section, to receive writs of
5
 
summons to attend the House of Lords and sit and vote therein
 
 
accordingly, and shall expire on his death.
 
4
Claims to hereditary peerages
 
 
(1)
The jurisdiction of the House of Lords in relation to claims to hereditary
 
 
peerages is abolished.
10
 
(2)
For the purposes of this section a claim to a hereditary peerage includes a
 
 
claim to a hereditary peerage in abeyance.
 
5
Consequential amendments
 
 
(1)
In the Peerage Act 1963 —
 
 
(a)
in section 1 (2) (disclaimer of certain hereditary peerages), omit the
15
 
words from “; and no such instrument” to the end;
 
 
(b)
omit section 4 (Scottish peerages) and the italic heading before it;
 
 
(c)
omit section 6 (peeresses in own right).
 
 
(2)
In the House of Lords Act 1999 —
 
 
(a)
omit section 3(2) (disqualifications in relation to House of Commons
20
 
applicable to hereditary peers);
 
 
(b)
omit paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 (amendment of Peerage Act 1963).
 
 
(3)
In the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 , in section 42 (tax
 
 
status of members of House of Lords: transitional provision)—
 
 
(a)
omit subsections (3) and (4);
25
 
(b)
in subsection (5) , omit “If M is not such a person,”;
 
 
(c)
in subsection (8) —
 
 
(i)
omit “or M succeeds to a peerage”;
 
 
(ii)
omit the words from “If subsection (3)(a)” to the end;
 
 
(d)
omit subsection (9).
30
 
(4)
In the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 , in section 4 (effect of ceasing to be
 
 
a member)—
 
 
(a)
in subsection (3) , omit “, by virtue of a hereditary peerage”;
 
 
(b)
omit subsection (4);
 
 
(c)
in subsection (5) , omit “other than a hereditary peer”;
35
 
(d)
omit subsection (7).
 

Page 3

6
Extent and commencement
 
 
(1)
An amendment or repeal made by section 1 or 5 has the same extent as the
 
 
provision amended or repealed.
 
 
(2)
Section 4 , this section and section 7 extend to England and Wales, Scotland
 
 
and Northern Ireland.
5
 
(3)
This Act comes into force at the end of the Session of Parliament in which
 
 
this Act is passed.
 
 
(4)
Accordingly, any writ of summons issued for the present Parliament in right
 
 
of a hereditary peerage is of no effect after that Session.
 
7
Short title
10
 
This Act may be cited as the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2025.
 
Amendments
Government Amendment 1

Tabled: 17 Jul 2025
HL Bill 122 Running list of amendments – 17 July 2025

This amendment was AGREED

After Clause 3, insert the following new Clause—
“Resignation
In section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 (resignation), after subsection (4) insert—
“(5) Where a notice under this section is given and signed by a person on behalf of a peer who lacks capacity to give or sign the notice, the notice must be given and signed in accordance with Standing Orders of the House.””

Type: Government

Signatures: 4

Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Lord Pannick (XB - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Lord True (Con - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Shadow Leader of the House of Lords

Lord Newby (LD - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025

Member's explanatory statement

This amendment inserts a new clause which makes clear that a notice under section 1(1) of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 may be given and signed on behalf of a peer who lacks capacity; and which provides that such a notice must be given and signed in accordance with Standing Orders of the House.

Government Amendment 2

Tabled: 18 Jul 2025
HL Bill 122-I Marshalled list for Third Reading

This amendment was AGREED

Clause 6, page 3, line 2, after “section 1” insert “, (Resignation)”

Type: Government

Signatures: 3

Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab - Life peer) - 18 Jul 2025
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Lord Newby (LD - Life peer) - 18 Jul 2025
Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Con - Life peer) - 18 Jul 2025

Member's explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the amendment in my name inserting a new clause after clause 3.

Government Amendment 3

Tabled: 18 Jul 2025
HL Bill 122-I Marshalled list for Third Reading

This amendment was AGREED

Clause 6, page 3, line 5, at end insert—
“(2A) Section (Resignation), this section and section 7 come into force on the day on which this Act is passed.”

Type: Government

Signatures: 3

Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab - Life peer) - 18 Jul 2025
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Lord Newby (LD - Life peer) - 18 Jul 2025
Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Con - Life peer) - 18 Jul 2025

Member's explanatory statement

This amendment provides that the new clause inserted by the amendment in my name inserting a new clause after clause 3, as well as the clauses dealing with extent and commencement and the short title come into force on the day on which the Bill is passed.

Government Amendment 4

Tabled: 17 Jul 2025
HL Bill 122 Running list of amendments – 17 July 2025

This amendment was AGREED

Clause 6, page 3, line 6, leave out “This Act comes” and insert “The other provisions of this Act come”

Type: Government

Signatures: 3

Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Lord Newby (LD - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Con - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025

Member's explanatory statement

This amendment is consequential on the previous amendment to this clause in my name.

Opposition Amendment 5

Tabled: 17 Jul 2025
HL Bill 122 Running list of amendments – 17 July 2025

This amendment was AGREED

Clause 6, page 3, line 8, leave out subsection (4)

Type: Opposition

Signatures: 1

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Government Amendment 6

Tabled: 17 Jul 2025
HL Bill 122 Running list of amendments – 17 July 2025

This amendment was AGREED

Title, line 2, after “Lords;” insert “to make provision about resignation from the House of Lords;”

Type: Government

Signatures: 3

Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Lord Newby (LD - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Con - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025

Member's explanatory statement

This amendment, which amends the long title, is consequential on the amendment in my name inserting a new clause after clause 3.

Government Amendment None

Tabled: 17 Jul 2025
HL Bill 122 Running list of amendments – 17 July 2025

NO DECISION has been made on this amendment

Clause 6, page 3, line 2, after “section 1” insert “, (Resignation)”

Type: Government

Signatures: 2

Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Lord Newby (LD - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Government Amendment None

Tabled: 17 Jul 2025
HL Bill 122 Running list of amendments – 17 July 2025

NO DECISION has been made on this amendment

Clause 6, page 3, line 5, at end insert – “(2A) Section (Resignation), this section and section 7 come into force on the day on which this Act is passed.”

Type: Government

Signatures: 2

Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Lord Newby (LD - Life peer) - 17 Jul 2025