For centuries in Britain, the country’s noblemen have sat in parliament by virtue of their bloodline – but not for much longer.
The last dukes, earls, viscounts and barons are to be removed from the UK’s unelected upper house, the House of Lords, by the newly elected Labour government – which has declared their presence “outdated and indefensible”.
Seats in parliament should not be “reserved for individuals who were born into certain families” nor “effectively reserved for men”, the government said this week. Their removal would “take us a step closer to a House of Lords that is fit for the 21st century”, it added.
Some of the hereditary peers can trace their family’s presence in the Lords back to medieval times. All are men, thanks to titles that can be passed only to male heirs, all are white and most are over the age of 70.
Legislation to remove them will be the most significant change to the House of Lords since 667 hereditary peers were excluded in 1999 under Tony Blair’s government. Ninety-two, elected from the whole group, were allowed to continue to sit and vote pending further reform.
The vast majority are affiliated with the Conservative party, or are crossbenchers, meaning they have no party political affiliation. Only two are Labour peers.
Stephen Clear, lecturer in constitutional law at Bangor University, said: “Some argue the hereditary peers bring life experience with them, with a deeper understanding of the historical constitutional workings of parliament that can only come from passing knowledge from generation to generation.”
“But their contributions are mixed. Some have life experience in areas such as farming and agriculture, the military, and other state offices, and are more regularly contributing to debates and have voted hundreds of times. With others, it’s difficult to see the benefit and contribution they make to our lawmaking processes.”
Clear added: “The idea that someone can sit in a lawmaking chamber by birthright is not in keeping with modern day democracy. Paying homage to history and tradition is not strong enough.”
Among the hereditary peers who sit in the Lords are:
The Duke of Norfolk
Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, 67, the 18th Duke of Norfolk, is one of two hereditary peers expected to be reprieved because of their ceremonial roles. As well as being the highest-ranking duke in England, he holds the hereditary office of earl marshal (held by Dukes of Norfolk since 1672), giving him a constitutional role in state ceremonials.
He oversaw the state opening of parliament this week, and was responsible for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.
He has sat as a crossbench peer since 2003. In those 21 years, he has voted 12 times – seven relating to hunting – according to his parliamentary profile. He has made no speeches and asked no written questions.
The Duke of Norfolk is a descendant of King Edward I, and is known to family, friends and the current king as “Eddie”. His seat is Arundel Castle in Sussex, dating back to the 11th century.
Viscount Stansgate
Stephen Michael Wedgwood Benn, 72, is the son of the leftwing Labour MP Tony Benn, who renounced his title in 1963 in order to stay in the House of Commons. Tony Benn described the hereditary peerage system as “absolutely mad”.
When he died in 2014, his eldest son claimed the title, and in 2021 he became one of two Labour hereditary peers sitting in the Lords. Stephen Benn, a member of the Labour party for more than four decades, said he would be a “working peer” and would focus on “developing the relationship between science and parliament”.
Viscount Stansgate has been an active member of the Lords, voting almost 400 times. He is currently deputy speaker of the Lords.
Lord Northbrook
Francis Thomas Baring, 70, took his seat in the House of Lords when his father died in 1990. Since becoming one of the 92 hereditary peers remaining in the Lords, he has consistently opposed any further reform.
In 2005, his Hampshire manor house went up in flames. Twelve fire engines and about 100 firefighters fought to save rare and valuable heirlooms, using a swimming pool to store water to douse the flames spreading across the building’s roof.
Lord Northbrook has three daughters from his first marriage and no children from his second marriage, meaning his title will pass to his cousin. He lists his main hobbies as shooting, cricket, fishing and skiing, and his clubs as White’s, Pratt’s, the Beefsteak, and the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers.
The Earl of Shrewsbury
Charles Henry John Benedict Crofton Chetwynd Chetwynd-Talbot, 71, also holds the titles of Earl Talbot and Baron Talbot.
In 2022, the conduct committee recommended his suspension from the House of Lords for nine months for financial misconduct. He had used his contacts in parliament to promote a company that paid him £57,000, breaching the Lords code of conduct by “seeking to profit from membership of the House”, the Lords standards watchdog found.
As a result, he was unable to play his customary role as the hereditary lord high steward of Ireland at King Charles’s coronation. The Conservative whip was also removed.
Lord Ravensdale
Daniel Nicholas Mosley, 41, is the great-grandson of Oswald Mosley, the founder and leader of the British Union of Fascists in the 1920s and 1930s. A crossbench peer and an engineer with a degree in aerospace engineering, he campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum.
Lord Grantchester
Christopher John Suenson-Taylor, 71, is the grandson of John Moores, founder of the Littlewoods football pools company. He is thought to be the richest hereditary peer, with an estimated net worth of £1.2bn according to the 2022 Sunday Times rich list. He sits as a Labour peer.
• This article was amended on 20 July 2024. The Duke of Norfolk is not a descendant of Queen Elizabeth I as stated in an earlier version.
