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
29 May 2024
This bill would change the House of Lords Act 1999 to end the system that elects hereditary peers to fill vacancies. If enacted, vacancies would not be filled, so the number of hereditary peers in the Lords would gradually decline over time. The measure removes the by-election mechanism that currently maintains hereditary representation.
The bill is at its first reading in the Lords. It has a Select Committee report and would move to further stages (second reading, committee stage) if it progresses.
Generated 21 February 2026
The 2023-24 session of Parliament has prorogued and this bill will make no further progress.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.