Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to consult on (a) a mandatory retirement age and (b) the removal of hereditary peers from the House of Lords.

The Government set out clear plans for House of Lords reform in the manifesto. As a first step in reform, the Government announced in the King’s Speech that it would introduce the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which will remove the right for Hereditary Peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. This is a long overdue measure. The continued presence of hereditary peers in the House of Lords is outdated and indefensible.

We will engage with peers to consider how best to implement this and our other manifesto commitments on Lords reform.