The Bill, which was passed on Tuesday 10th March 2026, fulfills one of the Labour Government’s key manifesto pledges. Up to 92 peers who held their seats by virtue of birth will leave at the end of the current parliamentary session, expected in May.
This is the biggest reform to Parliament in a generation, and the first step in a wider overhaul that will also introduce minimum participation requirements and retirement ages for peers.
The Labour Party believes that no one should be able to vote on legislation solely on the basis of the family they were born into. Minister for the Cabinet Office, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said:
“Our Parliament should always be a place where talents are recognised and merit counts. It should never be a gallery of old boys’ networks, nor a place where titles, many of which were handed out centuries ago, hold power over the will of the people.”