UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A YouGov poll finds only 3% support the govt’s Lords reform plan, while 56% want to curb the PM’s power to appoint life peers.
As reported by The Guardian, a new poll indicates the public believes scrapping hereditary peers is insufficient for real House of Lords reform.
Just 3% backed ministers’ current Lords plan, while 56% of respondents want restrictions on the PM’s power to appoint life peers, according to a poll.
How are ministers slowing down House of Lords reforms?
The hereditary peers bill is set to reach its report stage in the House of Lords on Wednesday, following extended discussions in March and April and line-by-line scrutiny of over 100 proposed amendments.
Labour says the bill delivers on its manifesto promise of immediate House of Lords reform. It includes removing hereditary peers and setting an 80-year retirement age. The plan also aims to boost accountability and tighten rules on peer appointments.
Ministers blocked every amendment that would have brought Labour’s promised Lords reforms into effect. The government argued it required more time to assess how to fulfil its pledges. It insisted the current bill was “not the right vehicle” for reform.
What did Prof Russell say about the Lords’ reform?
Prof Meg Russell of UCL’s Constitution Unit said peers now have a rare legislative chance to push reforms through, urging them not to waste “a vehicle that’s certain to pass.”
She warned that meaningful reform of the House of Lords could be decades away, noting the last serious effort came in 1999, starting with the removal of 667 hereditary peers.
Ms Russell said,
“You just would not believe how slowly it moves. Basically, it’s impossible to get agreement on anything, inside parties as well as across parties.”
She added,
“No bill has reached the House of Lords coming from a government in 26 years, and if you haven’t got a government bill, it’s very hard to achieve any legislative change, which is why I’m saying seize it. These things come around on roughly a generational kind of cycle.”
Ms Russel stated,
“The problem here is that whenever a prime minister over-appoints, particularly to their party, the PM that follows them feels the need to over-appoint to counteract those appointments. And that’s how it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, and it’s completely unsustainable.”
Why is the House of Lords still growing despite reforms?
A cross-party consensus agrees that the House of Lords should be slimmed down, with 71% of Britons saying it should not exceed the Commons’ 650 members.
The government’s reforms aimed at trimming the Lords’ face strain, as 76 new life peers join while 86 hereditary ones depart. The total stands at 859, and some outgoing peers could be reappointed.
In a last-minute bid to toughen the bill, peers included a clause urging the government to draft new reform legislation within two years.
Key facts about hereditary peers
- Titles and ranks:
The UK peerage includes five ranks. In 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers—30 dukes and 439 barons. - House of Lords access:
Since 1999, only 92 hereditary peers, elected by peers, can sit in the Lords, down from 750. Two retain seats by ceremonial role. - Gender inequality:
Most titles follow male-only succession. No female hereditary peer currently sits in the Lords. - Historical context:
Peerages began as feudal rewards for loyalty. The last non-royal title was given in 1984. - Controversy and reform:
Critics say inherited power is undemocratic. Labour plans to abolish the remaining hereditary seats. - Life peers reform:
The 1958 Life Peerages Act reduced hereditary influence but didn’t remove their legislative role.
Peers detail in the House of Lords
- Conservative Peers: 277
- Labour Peers: 185
- Crossbenchers (Independent Peers): 183
- Liberal Democrat Peers: 83