House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill: Third Reading

What happened: The House of Commons voted on 12 November 2024 to pass the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill at its Third Reading, the final stage before a bill moves to the other chamber. The bill passed by 435 votes to 73, a majority of 362. Third Reading is the last opportunity for MPs to vote on a bill as a whole, and this vote sent the legislation to the House of Lords for its consideration.

Why it matters: The bill removes all remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords, ending their right to sit and vote in the upper chamber. Hereditary peers are members who hold their seats by virtue of inheriting a title, rather than being appointed for life. A partial reform in 1999 under Tony Blair removed most hereditary peers but left 92 in place as a temporary compromise. This bill closes that arrangement entirely. In practical terms, it affects around 90 individuals who currently sit in the Lords and participate in scrutinising and amending legislation, and it represents the most significant change to the composition of the Lords since that 1999 reform.

The politics: The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. Labour and Labour-Co-operative MPs voted 348 to zero in favour, Liberal Democrats voted 65 to zero in favour, and the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and the Greens all voted unanimously in favour. Conservative MPs voted 69 to zero against, and Reform UK voted 3 to zero against. There were no notable rebels on either side. The bill forms part of a broader Labour commitment to Lords reform and sits alongside ongoing discussions about the longer-term future of the upper chamber. On the same day, MPs rejected two amendments at committee stage, including one that secured only 98 votes against 376, indicating the government faced little difficulty in holding its position throughout the bill's passage in the Commons.