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Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by karenl on March 12, 2026, 1:11 am

"Centuries of British political tradition will end within weeks after Parliament voted to remove hereditary aristocrats from the unelected House of Lords.

On Tuesday night members of the upper chamber dropped objections to legislation passed by the House of Commons ousting dozens of dukes, earls and viscounts who inherited seats in Parliament along with their aristocratic titles.

Government minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the change put an end to “an archaic and undemocratic principle.”

“Our parliament should always be a place where talents are recognized and merit counts,” he said. “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.”

https://apnews.com/article/uk-house-of-lords-hereditary-peers-expelled-535df8781dd01e8970acda1dca99d3d4

Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by Martha on March 12, 2026, 9:39 am, in reply to "Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving""

Excellent.

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Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by Karen on March 12, 2026, 9:49 am, in reply to "Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving""

Why is it "Excellent"? Since 1999, 92 hereditary peers have remained in the House of Lord. That is 92 Peers out of 800 Peers in the House of Lords. At the end of Parliamentary Session in April Centuries of History will come to an end, and that is Sad.

https://www.itv.com/news/2026-03-10/hereditary-peers-to-leave-red-benches-before-next-kings-speech

Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by Martha on March 12, 2026, 9:59 am, in reply to "Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving""

While I'm a fan of tradition, usually, none of them are elected by the people based on merit or ability. Having a second chamber to review legislation and advise on revisions is good, those people need to be vetted and not inherit that position. In my opinion.

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Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by Cynthia on March 12, 2026, 11:22 am, in reply to "Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving""

But aren't most of the lords mostly cronies and major party donors? I know, you get a few who received their titles for genuine service (Lord Olivier comes to mind), but the majority don't really seem to be merit-based peerages. More "who you know."

Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by Karen on March 12, 2026, 1:19 pm, in reply to "Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving""

Cynthia, you're correct.The Life Peerage which will now been seen in the House of Lords are connected to either the the Polictal Party in power and also by those in Opposition. The Prime Minister directly nominates individuals, while opposition leaders can recommend a set number. A lot of heredritary Lords or Ladies were nutral, alinged with no Political Party. Politics in the UK is now going to be an utter mess.

Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by Hollie24 on March 12, 2026, 10:35 am, in reply to "Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving""

Does this impact the Archbishop of Canterbury and the other Lords Spiritual who currently sit in the House of Lords?

Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by Karen on March 12, 2026, 1:24 pm, in reply to "Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving""

Not at the moment, no. The removal of hereditary peers from the House of Lords does not abolish the Lords Spiritual (the 26 Church of England bishops who hold seats ex-officio), but it does impact on their position. It will most likely increase the pressure for their removal.

Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by Hollie24 on March 12, 2026, 9:51 pm, in reply to "Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving""

Hmm, it seems this move leaves open the probability of the C of E being disenfranchised from the government for the first time in its history. So it's not only the sitting Peers who will be affected by this change.

Re: Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving"

Posted by karenl on March 12, 2026, 8:09 pm, in reply to "Semi Royal And Noble: "Lords A-Leaving""

" The case of Peter Mandelson, who resigned from the Lords in February after revelations about his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, drew renewed attention to the upper chamber and the problem of lords behaving badly."
I think this was the "Aha" moment that the critics and backers to push through the final "death blow" as it were. There's always an incident/scandal that brings the final straw. Over the years, there were always calls to dissolve the House of Lords, but nothing really came to fruition, until Peter Mandelson. He became the "limit".
I have to always grin because in the years reading about the Royals, I've read plenty of stories concerning MP's of various political parties in the Commons "behaving badly", "Do as we say, not as WE do."

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