Arabic version: مجلس اللوردات سيزيل الأقران الوراثيين من خلال تشريع جديد

Dozens of hereditary peers are set to lose their seats in the House of Lords, after the passage of a bill that will end a parliamentary role dating back hundreds of years. This legislation, known as the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, was approved after the government reached a compromise with opponents of the reform, according to BBC News.

The bill marks the culmination of a long-standing effort to eliminate hereditary peerages, a practice that has persisted for centuries. The majority of hereditary peers, who inherit their titles through their families, were abolished in 1999 under the last Labour government, and this new bill will remove the remaining 92 hereditary members from the upper house of Parliament. Lords Leader Baroness Smith emphasized that the legislation fulfills Labour’s manifesto promise to end the hereditary right to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

Baroness Smith expressed that the decision is not about individual contributions but rather about the principle that no one should hold a parliamentary seat due to inherited titles. She highlighted the stagnation of meaningful reform over the past 25 years and reiterated the government’s responsibility to progress.

In a strategic move, the government plans to offer life peerages to some Conservatives and crossbenchers who will lose their seats, which led to the Conservative Party withdrawing its opposition to the bill. Lord True, the Conservative leader in the Lords, acknowledged the government’s mandate to end hereditary membership, despite recognizing the difficulty of the compromise for some party members.

The bill is expected to take effect when the current session of Parliament ends in May. Additionally, the government is considering further reforms, including the introduction of a retirement age and minimum participation rates for peers. The legislation is now set to become law, marking a pivotal change in the composition of the House of Lords.