Overview
- Hereditary peers, who sat for the final time Wednesday, ceased to be members when Parliament was prorogued at the end of the session.
- Labour enacted the House of Lords reforms it pledged in 2024, calling inherited seats an archaic and undemocratic principle.
- Several departing hereditary peers were appointed as life peers, with outlets reporting different totals on how many stayed on.
- Critics including Lords Strathclyde and Salisbury warned the move erases tradition and increases prime ministerial patronage over a fully appointed chamber.
- MPs and peers return on 13 May for the King’s Speech, when the government sets out its next legislative program.