A Bill to amend the House of Lords Act 1999 so as to abolish the system of by-elections for hereditary peers
House of Lords
28 April 2022
This bill would end the by-election system used to fill vacancies for hereditary peers in the House of Lords by amending the House of Lords Act 1999. As a result, vacancies would no longer be filled by other hereditary peers, gradually reducing the number of hereditary peers in the Lords. It is part of ongoing reform of how the Lords is composed.
The bill is currently at the 2nd Reading in the Lords. If it progresses, it would move on to committee and subsequent stages in the Lords, before moving to the House of Commons for consideration.
Generated 21 February 2026
Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the Bill - took place on 3 December.
Committee stage - line by line examination of the Bill - is yet to be scheduled.
The 2021-2022 session of Parliament has prorogued and this Bill will make no further progress.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
