Northern Isles MP votes to abolish hereditary peers in the House of Lords

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has this evening voted to abolish hereditary peers from the House of Lords, calling it “a bizarre anachronism”. The majority of hereditary peers – Lords who inherited their title and right to sit in the House of Lords – were removed under the House of Lords Act 1999, but in a compromise 92 were allowed to remain. The new government bill under consideration will remove the remaining hereditary peers.

A Liberal Democrat amendment, rejected 355-93 by the government, would have gone further and required ministers to take forward proposals to introduce directly elected members of the second chamber of Parliament.

Speaking after votes, Mr Carmichael said:

“I was glad to back the abolition of hereditary peers in the House of Lords in votes this evening. It is a change that is long past necessary and one which, I suspect, many people will be surprised was not already the case. The existence of dozens of people making law in Parliament purely on the basis of their ancestry is a bizarre anachronism – it is right that we end it once and for all.

“I was also proud to back my party’s amendment which would have gone further to deliver a democratically elected second chamber. While even partial reform of the House of Lords is a positive step, we can and must go further to reform our politics so that it works better for everyone.”