MPs vote on ‘bizarre anachronism’

Alistair Carmichael has voted to abolish hereditary peers from the House of Lords, calling it “a bizarre anachronism”.

The majority of hereditary peers – lords who inherited their title and right to sit in the House of Lords – were removed under the House of Lords Act 1999.

But in a compromise 92 were allowed to remain.

The new government bill under consideration will remove the remaining hereditary peers.

A Liberal Democrat amendment, rejected 355-93 by the government, would have gone further and required ministers to take forward proposals to introduce directly elected members of the second chamber of Parliament.

Speaking after votes, Mr Carmichael said: “I was glad to back the abolition of hereditary peers in the House of Lords in votes this evening.

“It is a change that is long past necessary and one which, I suspect, many people will be surprised was not already the case.

“The existence of dozens of people making law in parliament purely on the basis of their ancestry is a bizarre anachronism – it is right that we end it once and for all.

“I was also proud to back my party’s amendment which would have gone further to deliver a democratically elected second chamber.

“While even partial reform of the House of Lords is a positive step, we can and must go further to reform our politics so that it works better for everyone.”

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