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Lords peerages ‘to be limited to 15 years’

New plan to lower numbers will see members of the House serve fixed terms

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There are around 800 life peers, hereditary peers and religious leaders in Parliament’s upper chamber

published 17 October 2017

Newly awarded peerages will be subject to a 15-year limit as part of a plan to “shrink the House of Lords”, according to information obtained by The Times.

The pros and cons of the House of Lords

The Lord Speaker’s committee will publish a report last this month that explores methods of reducing membership.

At present, the House of Lords has around 800 members, “making it the second-largest legislative chamber in the world after the National People’s Congress of China”.

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Owing to the cost of maintaining the House, there has been pressure on numerous successive UK governments to scale back the size of the chamber. There is presently no retirement age or limit on how long peers can serve, and the legislative body has been described as the “world’s most elitist”.

The report is likely to recommend that two peers must retire or die in order for another to be appointed, according to The Guardian.

The four major parts of the Lords – 252 Conservatives, 199 from Labour, 100 Lib Dem peers and 180 crossbenchers – will also be called upon to ‘commit to cutting the size of their blocs in stages’, according to The Times.

It is understood both Labour and the Lib Dems are “willing to back changes in principle that would reduce the size of the House of Lords”, adds The Guardian.

A handful of Lords members have been peers for more than 60 years, and a rule allowing peers to retire and keep their title, introduced in 2014, has prompted only 70 to do so - far fewer than was hoped.

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