British lawmakers voted to approve in principle a bill to strip hereditary aristocrats of the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords after more than 700 years
Member of the House of Lords take their seats in the Lords Chamber , ahead of the State Opening of Parliament , in the House s of Parliament , in London, on July 17.Like his ancestors for centuries, the Earl of Devon serves in Parliament , helping to make the laws of the land. But not for much longer.
He noted that Britain is one of only two countries — the other is Lesotho — with a hereditary element to its parliament. Britain’s Parliament has two chambers: the House of Commons, whose members are directly elected by voters in 650 constituencies across the U.K.; and the unelected Lords. For centuries it was made up of noblemen — women were not allowed until 1963 — whose voting rights were passed down to their children along with their titles. In the 1950s these were joined by “life peers” — retired politicians, civic leaders and other notables appointed by the government.
Peers who sit in the ornate, gilded Lords chamber do not get a salary but can claim 361 pounds a day in expenses and can enjoy Parliament’s subsidized bars, tea rooms and restaurants. It’s a job for life, unless members choose to retire or — in a recent change — are expelled for non-attendance. While more Lords support the Conservatives than any other party — others, like Courtenay, are nonaligned — some on the left of British politics have come to value the upper house for its role in helping to moderate controversial plans by the previous Conservative government over Brexit and immigration.
To become law, the bill also has to get through the House of Lords, which has the power to delay and amend legislation approved by the Commons, but ultimately can’t block it. It is likely to become law in the coming year.
House Law Chamber Bill Devon Government Lords Agincourt Scottish National Party Devon
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