12th March 2026
The Hereditary Peers Bill has passed in the House of Lords in one of the biggest reforms to Parliament and UK democracy in a generation.
Hereditary peers will no longer have the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords in one of the biggest reforms to Parliament in a generation.
Fulfilling a key manifesto pledge of the current Government, the Hereditary Peers Bill will ensure that places in the Lords are not reserved for people born into certain families.
The passage of the Bill completes a process started a quarter of a century ago to remove the hereditary principle from the House of Lords and bring the UK into line with other 21st century democracies.
The Hereditary Peers Bill has passed in the House of Lords in one of the biggest reforms to Parliament and UK democracy in a generation.
The Bill, which was passed on Tuesday evening, fulfills one of the Government's key manifesto pledges and marks the completion of work started over 25 years ago to remove the right for hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.
The Government believes that no one should be able to vote on legislation solely on the basis of their inheritance, so reform of this outdated and undemocratic principle has been long overdue.
Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Smith said, "The Lords plays a vital role within our bicameral Parliament, but nobody should sit in the House by virtue of an inherited title. That is why the government committed to removing the remaining hereditary peerages, completing the reforms that were started over a quarter of a century ago.
Getting this bill through is a major first step towards reform of the Lords, with further changes to follow - including on members' retirement and participation requirements.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said, "Hereditary peerages are an archaic and undemocratic principle. I am proud that we have fulfilled a key manifesto pledge of this government.
Our Parliament should always be a place where talents are recognised and merit counts. It should never be a gallery of old boys' networks, nor a place where titles, many of which were handed out centuries ago, hold power over the will of the people.
In making this change, the Government is committed to ensuring that the House can continue to function effectively. The Government has therefore agreed to offer additional life peerages to the Official Opposition and Crossbenchers. As always, it will be for the Opposition to decide which individuals they wish to nominate for peerages.
The Bill is the first step in wider reform to the House of Lords which, besides Lesotho's Senate, is the only legislative body that still contains a hereditary element. The Government believes that there should not be places in the second chamber of Parliament reserved for those who were born into certain families.
Currently, 92 excepted hereditary peers, which include a range of Dukes, Viscounts, and Earls, can vote on legislation in the Lords. While over 600 hereditary peers were removed from the Lords in the House of Lords Act 1999, 92 were retained as an interim measure.
The Bill will come into effect at the end of this session of Parliament, after which no peer will be a member of the House of Lords on the basis of their hereditary peerage.
Around 700 peers will remain in the House of Lords once the Hereditary Peers Bill removes the final 92 hereditary peers. The Bill abolishes the last automatic hereditary seats, leaving only life peers and bishops in the chamber.
How the Numbers Break Down
Before the Bill
Total membership: 800-820 peers
Hereditary peers with seats: 92 (the "excepted" hereditary peers kept after the 1999 reform)
After the Bill
Hereditary peers removed: 92
Remaining peers: ~700-730 (all life peers + 26 bishops)
This aligns with the current size of the House once the hereditary element is abolished.
What This Means for the Lords
A smaller, more modern chamber.
Removing hereditary peers reduces the size of the Lords by more than 10%, making it slightly leaner and more in line with other second chambers internationally.
Life peers now dominate completely
Only appointed life peers (plus bishops) will remain, ending the centuries‑old practice of inherited seats.
This is widely seen as completing the reform process begun in 1999.
Some hereditary peers may return as life peers
The government has indicated it may grant life peerages to a small number of hereditary peers, particularly crossbenchers and opposition members.
Once the Hereditary Peers Bill takes effect, the House of Lords will shrink to around 700 members, marking the most significant structural change to the chamber in a generation.
What happens after hereditary peers are removed?
Removing the remaining 92 hereditary peers will reduce the total membership to around 700, but it will not dramatically change daily attendance.
Why?
Many hereditary peers already attend infrequently.
Daily attendance is dominated by life peers, crossbenchers, and party-appointed members.
So after the Hereditary Peers Bill:
Daily attendance will likely remain around 400-450.
The chamber will be slightly smaller, but its working size will be broadly unchanged.
Why attendance matters more than total membership
The Lords is unusual in that:
Members are unpaid
Attendance is voluntary
Many peers specialise in particular policy areas and only attend when relevant
So the "headline" size of the Lords (800 → 700) is less important than the active working core, which is consistently around 400–500.
Do they get paid £300 for attendance?
Yes — members of the House of Lords can claim a £300 daily allowance for attending, but it's not a salary and it’s not automatic. It’s a flat-rate attendance payment, and peers only receive it if they physically attend the House or take part in approved parliamentary work.
Here’s how it works
Do peers get £300 for attending? Yes — but with conditions
Peers can claim one of three options per day:
1. £300 full allowance
For attending the chamber, committees, or doing approved parliamentary duties.
2. £150 reduced allowance
For partial attendance or lighter parliamentary activity.
3. £0
Peers may choose not to claim anything.
There is no salary, no pension, and no automatic payment for simply being a member.
Important details
The allowance is not paid if they don’t attend.
Peers must sign in to claim it.
Travel expenses can also be reimbursed, especially for those travelling from Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Crossbenchers, party peers and hereditary peers all operate under the same system.
Why this matters in practice
Although the Lords has around 800 members, only 400–500 typically attend on a working day — and only those attending can claim the allowance.
For peers travelling from the north of Scotland, the allowance often barely covers travel and accommodation costs, which is why many attend less frequently.