House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026
An Act to remove the remaining connection between hereditary peerage and membership of the House of Lords; to make provision about resignation from the House of Lords; to abolish the jurisdiction of the House of Lords in relation to claims to hereditary peerages; and for connected purposes.
Be it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1Exclusion of remaining hereditary peers
Omit section 2 of the House of Lords Act 1999 (exception to exclusion of hereditary peers from membership of House of Lords).
2Resignation
“(5)
Where a notice under this section is given and signed by a person on behalf of a peer who lacks capacity to give or sign the notice, the notice must be given and signed in accordance with Standing Orders of the House.”
3Claims to hereditary peerages
(1)
The jurisdiction of the House of Lords in relation to claims to hereditary peerages is abolished.
(2)
For the purposes of this section a claim to a hereditary peerage includes a claim to a hereditary peerage in abeyance.
4Consequential amendments
(1)
In the Peerage Act 1963—
(a)
in section 1(2) (disclaimer of certain hereditary peerages), omit the words from “; and no such instrument” to the end;
(b)
omit section 4 (Scottish peerages) and the italic heading before it;
(c)
omit section 6 (peeresses in own right).
(2)
In the House of Lords Act 1999—
(a)
omit section 3(2) (disqualifications in relation to House of Commons applicable to hereditary peers);
(b)
omit paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 (amendment of Peerage Act 1963).
(3)
In the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, in section 42 (tax status of members of House of Lords: transitional provision)—
(a)
omit subsections (3) and (4);
(b)
in subsection (5), omit “If M is not such a person,”;
(c)
in subsection (8)—
(i)
omit “or M succeeds to a peerage”;
(ii)
omit the words from “If subsection (3)(a)” to the end;
(d)
omit subsection (9).
(4)
In the House of Lords Reform Act 2014, in section 4 (effect of ceasing to be a member)—
(a)
in subsection (3), omit “, by virtue of a hereditary peerage”;
(b)
omit subsection (4);
(c)
in subsection (5), omit “other than a hereditary peer”;
(d)
omit subsection (7).
5Extent and commencement
(1)
An amendment or repeal made by section 1, 2 or 4 has the same extent as the provision amended or repealed.
(2)
Section 3, this section and section 6 extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
(3)
Section 2, this section and section 6 come into force on the day on which this Act is passed.
(4)
The other provisions of this Act come into force at the end of the Session of Parliament in which this Act is passed.
(5)
Accordingly, any writ of summons issued for the present Parliament in right of a hereditary peerage is of no effect after that Session.
6Short title
This Act may be cited as the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026.