Hereditary Peers By-election

Lord Winston Excerpts

Wednesday 19th October 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Grocott (Lab)]

My Lords, I cannot resist making a couple of brief comments. I know I have been doing this for some time; it would be very nice if I could pass on the responsibility for doing it to my eldest son.

Just to put it in context, because this really is a pretty astonishing period, we have five by-elections in the space of three days. I do not think there has ever been anything quite like it. Of course, I congratulate the two winners, but to the 20 losers—there were 22 candidates—I say, “Do not despair, because there is another one coming along on Friday.” Two Tories were elected today, one Cross-Bencher will be elected tomorrow and two more Tories on Friday, so out of 22 candidates I make that a one in five chance of being in this House by Friday if you are a Tory hereditary Peer. It is a pretty small market. The normal ratio of winners to electorate for by-elections to the other House is 1:73,000. I also ought to point out that they are coming with increasing frequency, as I mentioned in the House a little while ago.

[Lord Winston (Lab)]

And they are getting older.

[Lord Grocott (Lab)]

They are getting older, as my noble friend says. We have had 16 by-elections in the 16 months—by coincidence, it is 16 months—since by-elections resumed after the suspension during the period of Covid, so we have had 16 new Members: two Labour; two Cross Bench; and 12 Conservatives. Nine of the 12 Conservatives were elected by this privileged circle of Conservative hereditary Peers, so nine selected by 43: again, the stats are pretty good if you are a hereditary and a Conservative. I can mark a landmark, which some may celebrate but I have to admit that I do not, that with the two elected today, there have now been 50 Peers elected via the by-election system since it began in 1999.

It is interesting that, as we all know, this was introduced as a temporary measure—we have had 50—and now the next generation is moving on. Peers who came in at a by-election are retiring and now causing another by-election, so we are having by-elections for by-elections in something that was intended to be a temporary phenomenon.

As the House knows, I am afraid the Government have always refused to make any changes. But I am an optimist. There is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. We have heard from the Prime Minister repeatedly this week that she is a listening Prime Minister. I wonder whether she will listen to the overwhelming majority of noble Lords in this House, who have said on every test we have had that these by-elections could cease. It might be a U-turn, but these things happen. It would be terrific if the Prime Minister listened to us and ended these ridiculous by-elections once and for all.