Hereditary peers have left the House of Lords for the final time after Labour abolished their seats.
Ending a 1,000-year-old tradition, 88 members who inherited their titles lost their voting rights in the Upper House.
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of playing ‘crude politics’ over the move, as just four are Labour members.
Labour vowed to abolish hereditary peerages in its manifesto, describing the principle of inheriting a place in the Lords as ‘indefensible’.
The Lords Speaker praised the outgoing peers on Monday night and said they had shown an ‘independence of mind’.
At a reception to mark their contribution, Lord Forsyth said they had shown a willingness to act with ‘conscience rather than convenience’.
‘Hereditary peers have brought distinctive qualities to this House – an ethos of service, a long view and, not least, independence of mind,’ he said.
‘They have often shown a willingness to speak plainly, to resist passing fashions, and to act according to conscience rather than convenience.
Keir Starmer has been accused of playing ‘crude politics’ over a move to remove hereditary peers from the House of Lords
File photo: Members of the House of Lords and guests take their seats in the Lords Chamber, ahead of the State Opening of Parliament, in the Houses of Parliament, in London, on July 17, 2024
‘But the contribution of hereditaries has not all been about high politics – what is best in the tradition is the sense of obligation and stewardship, and the understanding that privilege brings duties.’
His comments will be seen as an implicit criticism of the Prime Minister’s decision to abolish the principle of inherited titles.
Tony Blair removed most of the hereditary peers in 1999, lowering their number from 750 to 92. Under the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, that has been effectively reduced to zero, but a handful will survive.
Around 25 will return to the Upper House as life peers, meaning they are political appointments.