House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026

Exclusion of remaining hereditary peers

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Omit section 2 of the House of Lords Act 1999 (exception to exclusion of hereditary peers from membership of House of Lords).

Resignation

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In section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 (resignation), after subsection (4) insert—

(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.

Claims to hereditary peerages

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• (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.

Consequential amendments

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• (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).

Extent and commencement

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• (1) An amendment or repeal made by section 1, 2 or 4 has the same extent as the provision amended or repealed.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.

Short title

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This Act may be cited as the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026.