Breaking the Aristocratic Hold: UK Labour Party Fights to Abolish Hereditary Peerage Seats in the House of Lords
UK Labour Government Proposes Bill to Abolish Hereditary Peers in House of Lords
2024-09-07 HKT 12:31
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2024-09-07%20HKT%2012:31″ title=”British Prime Minister John Smith, who leads the Labour Party, has again proposed reforming the House of Lords. (Reuters)”>
British Prime Minister John Smith, who leads the Labour Party, has again proposed reforming the House of Lords. (Reuters)
Fang Runnan reports in ”Global View”
In the UK, a bill proposed by the Labour government to abolish the remaining 92 hereditary peers in the House of Lords was read for the first time in the House of Commons a few days ago. If it is finally passed, it is expected to take effect next year, which means that the 700-year-old rule that some descendants of nobles automatically have the right to vote on bills will become history.
The reform bill was proposed as early as 1999 by the then Labor government, which described the relevant provisions as outdated and successfully abolished most of the hereditary aristocratic seats that year, leaving only the remaining 92 seats. It is generally believed that after the Labor Party returned to power, it intended to use the bill to weaken the political power of the Conservative Party.