House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill

Lord Blackwell Excerpts

Report stage
Wednesday 9th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Deputy Speaker (Baroness Pitkeathley) (Lab)]

I must point out to your Lordships that the new clause proposed by Amendment 21 would be in substitution for the new clause “Rights of life peers to sit in the House of Lords” agreed by the House earlier today in Amendment 17.

[Lord Blackwell (Con)]

My Lords, I oppose the amendment, and I should perhaps declare an interest as one of the many Members of the House who has had the privilege to be in the House for over 20 years, but that is not the reason for opposing the amendment. The reason is that I do not accept the argument that contributions to the House decline the longer you have been here. In fact, in many cases the opposite is true. In the period I have been in the House, some of the most distinguished contributions have come from former Ministers, former civil servants, former judges and former distinguished people in many careers who, over time, bring their experience; and that experience and the memory of past legislation and previous government experience are an extremely valuable part of our legislative process. The premise of this is mistaken. Of course, people may wish to retire at a certain age, but for those who have the faculty and the desire to continue, longevity and age should not be a barrier.