Lords a-leaving: Britain is ejecting hereditary nobles from Parliament after 700 years

[dalton99a]

https://apnews.com/article/uk-house-of-lords-hereditary-peers-expelled-535df8781dd01e8970acda1dca99d3d4

Lords a-leaving: Britain is ejecting hereditary nobles from Parliament after 700 years
By JILL LAWLESS
Updated 9:29 AM CDT, March 11, 2026

LONDON (AP) — Centuries of British political tradition will end within weeks after Parliament voted to remove hereditary aristocrats from the unelected House of Lords.

On Tuesday night members of the upper chamber dropped objections to legislation passed by the House of Commons ousting dozens of dukes, earls and viscounts who inherited seats in Parliament along with their aristocratic titles.

The House of Lords plays an important role in Britain’s parliamentary democracy, scrutinizing legislation passed by the elected House of Commons. But critics have long argued that it is unwieldy and undemocratic.

The case of Peter Mandelson, who resigned from the Lords in February after revelations about his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, drew renewed attention to the upper chamber and the problem of lords behaving badly.

...

[EYESORE 9001]

1. An anachronism which deserves to be relegated to the historical dustbin

Royalty schmoyalty.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Hereditary nobles? Is that like Legacy politicians?

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. It's what Madison and Jefferson based the US Senate on, wasn't it?

An Upper chamber and a lower chamber.

The Constitution does not call for the election of Senators, rather their appointment by state legislators.

The 17th amendment fixed that.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Interesting.

[DaBronx]

17. How interesting

I was unaware of this juicy historical nugget of info.

[CTyankee]

3. I guess Epstein was the last straw.

the optics on this would be funny if it weren't for all of the innocent victims.

[BattleRow]

4. No more lording over the peasants and victims.

Next step up the elite food chain..
No more Kings...

[rubbersole]

6. The whole elite food chain needs to sweat.

The peasants are stirring...

[SergeStorms]

9. We're revolting!

🤪

[BattleRow]

16. Revolutions are fought by these whose ribs are easily counted.

With the price of groceries,this may be sooner than later...

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. The bill was introduced in September 2024, before Epstein blew up

In fact, before Mandelson was appointed as US ambassador (the big British news today here is not this, but the release of some papers about the process of his appointment, and it looks like Starmer was warned, but said he wanted Mandelson anyway - this does not look good for him).

But it's possible that Mandelson's downfall helped people say "no way do the Lords get to delay or modify this bill".

[Susan Calvin]

5. Good. Hope they get rid of the monarchy next. nt

[xuplate]

8. The Brit version of our Citizens United.

[tritsofme]

12. Not sure I understand the connection?

[Ilsa]

11. Hurray! No more jus primae noctis!

No more droit du seigneur ('right of the lord') to have sexual relations with any female subject, particularly on her wedding night.

Trump will be so disappointed.

[gfarber]

13. Lords Tossed

There once was a chamber of peers,
With dukes set in velvet for years.
By birthright they’d sit,
In ermine and wit—
Debating the realm over beers.

For centuries nobles held sway,
Their titles the price they would pay.
An earl with a grin,
A viscount drop in—
No ballot would stand in their way.

But Commons declared with a vote,
“Your lineage no longer will float.”
The dukes packed their scrolls,
The earls lost their roles—
Hereditary seats now remote.

The Lords still review every bill,
With scrutiny polished and still.
Yet critics complain
The system’s arcane—
A relic of crown, quill, and quill.

Then Mandelson’s scandal appeared,
With friendships the public had feared.
When Epstein was named,
The chamber was shamed—
And talk of reform quickly neared.


© 2026 Glen Farber. All Rights Reserved.

https://buymeacoffee.com/gfarber

[maxsolomon]

14. The US Senate should be next

It's almost as absurd.

[twodogsbarking]

15. If they want to have a Monarchy who I am I to say they are nucking futs.

[VMA131Marine]

19. There are (were) 842 members of the House of Lords

for a nation of 65 million. That makes it 46 times more representative than the US Senate.
The change in membership of the Lords eliminates 92 hereditary peers.

The membership of the House of Lords is not a specific fixed number but can vary. Typically, once elected or appointed, peers get life memberships.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Lords

[efhmc]

20. And for 9/10 of those years or more it was all males.

[SocialDemocrat61]

21. I feel bad for Lord Crawley

He's really fallen on hard times 😉