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Hereditary Peers: Thank you for your contribution, and goodnight

Last night, the first debate of the Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill happened in the House of Commons. The Bill, if passed, will remove the remaining 92 Peers who sit in our House of Lords purely...

Posted 16 Oct 2024

MPs debate bill to remove Hereditary Peers from the House of Lords

Two aristocrats have won the right to make laws for life with just 27 votes

Just weeks after 70,000 people cast their votes to elect two new MPs in the Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton by-elections, two hereditary peers were gifted the life-long right to make the laws we all...

Posted 07 Jul 2022

A system more suited to a private members' club than our parliament

A Labour Peer is trying to abolish hereditary peers (again)

There is overwhelming support for reform but Friday once again showed there is little chance of it succeeding. On Friday 3rd December, for the fourth time in just five years, Labour peer Lord Bruce Grocott...

Posted 07 Dec 2021

The government remains opposed to these common sense proposals

The aristocratic by-elections continue to make a mockery out of our democracy

On the 9th and 10th November, the House of Lords will be hosting their fifth hereditary peer by-election this year. The House of Lords Act 1999 led to the removal of all but 90 hereditary...

Posted 08 Nov 2021

The next phase of Lords reform is now long overdue

There is nothing democratic about these by-elections

While the Conservatives' shock loss in the Chesham and Amersham by-election might dominate the headlines, Liberal Democrat Sarah Green MP will not be the only parliamentarian to join Westminster this week.

Posted 18 Jun 2021

Britain’s most messed-up ‘elections’ are about to restart

Six aristocrats will join the House of Lords over the next month, following the announcement of candidates for Britain's most warped election.

Posted 11 Jun 2021

A handful of aristocrats are picking who can vote on our laws and claim expenses for life

ERS in the Press – March 2020

These are difficult and uncertain times, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down most normal activity in politics and across the country this month. Despite the disruption, we’ve been campaigning the most democratic and safe Parliamentary...

Posted 06 Apr 2020

Let’s postpone bizarre peer by-elections for good

Even in today’s climate, hereditary peer by-elections are among the more absurd aspects of British politics. Following the retirement of the Earl of Selborne from the House of Lords after almost 50 years in office,...

Posted 01 Apr 2020

Another chance to scrap an absurd Parliamentary quirk

A Bill to phase out one of Parliament’s more absurd procedures is making some progress, after being talked out of time by Lords last year. Lord Grocott’s Hereditary Peers (Abolition of By-Elections) Bill underwent its...

Posted 17 Mar 2020

Lord Grocott’s Hereditary Peers Abolition of By-Elections Bill is back

Oh Lord… Defender of hereditary peers is made minister for political reform

Last week’s government reshuffle saw some strange moves. Boris Johnson appointed a former speechwriter to John Major, Lord True, as a minister overseeing constitutional reform. A strange move because Lord True is one of just...

Posted 19 Feb 2020