Campaigners Call Plans To Drop Ending Hereditary Peer By-Elections ‘Absurd’

The House of Lords’ decision to drop a Bill aiming to end hereditary peer by-elections today has been condemned by the Electoral Reform Society, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘bordering on the comical’.

Will Brett, Head of Campaigns at the Electoral Reform Society, said:

“It’s astonishing that in the 21st century, a handful of hereditary Lords still gets to decide who sits in our legislature. This was the most modest of Bills, proposed by Peers themselves to end an absurd anachronism. The fact it has been dropped borders on the comical.

Let’s have proper elections that involve the whole public, based on a fair voting system

“Some of these by-elections have had an electorate of three or less. It’s an embarrassment to our politics, and the sooner this practice is scrapped the better. Instead, let’s have proper elections that involve the whole public, based on a fair voting system.

“We hope the government now come forward with more substantial reforms to ensure that this long era of hereditary and unelected law-making draws to a close.”