On this day: The House of Lords removes almost all hereditary peers
On this day, 11 November 1999, the House of Lords Act became law, removing the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit.
On November 11, 1999, the House of Lords Act became law, effectively abolishing the automatic right to sit in the House of Lords for hereditary peers. Before its enactment, the House of Lords comprised 1,213 members, consisting of 759 hereditary peers, 545 life peers, and 26 Church of England bishops. The Act eliminated the right of nearly 750 hereditary peers to participate in the parliamentary process, fundamentally altering the composition and function of the upper chamber.
This landmark reform, which took place just before the Prorogation of the parliamentary session, was a result of a decade-long parliamentary debate over the House of Lords Bill introduced in early 1999.
Written by urgent.news from City AM's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
