The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom.[1] The Act was a private member's bill. It received royal assent on 14 May 2014. The Act allows members of the House of Lords to retire or resign – actions previously constitutionally impossible for life peers. (Under the provisions of the Peerage Act 1963, hereditary peers can effectively resign from the House of Lords by disclaiming their peerage, but this procedure has only been used once since the House of Lords Act 1999 removed automatic membership of hereditary peers in that House.) It also makes provision to exclude members who commit serious criminal offences resulting in a jail sentence of at least one year, and members who fail to attend the House for a whole session. The Act does not have retrospective effect.
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| Long title | An Act to make provision for resignation from the House of Lords; and to make provision for the expulsion of Members of the House of Lords in specified circumstances. |
|---|---|
| Introduced by | Dan Byles MP (Commons) David Steel, Lord Steel of Aikwood (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 14 May 2014 |
| Commencement |
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| Other legislation | |
| Relates to | |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
| Text of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
As of May 2024[update], 178 peers have resigned or retired, and a further ten peers were removed under the Act's provisions regarding non-attendance. The first peer to resign was Julian Grenfell, 3rd Baron Grenfell, on 1 October 2014.
Amongst other things, this Act provides for the right of peers to resign from the House of Lords, whilst keeping their title and style. Section 4(5) states that those who have resigned or been removed from the House of Lords can stand or re-stand as MPs. To date, no such person has become an MP.
Peers removed for non-attendance under the provisions of the Act edit
| No | Peer | Party | Type | Date joined in Lords | Date removed | Post removal | Died | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lord Bridges[2] | Crossbench | Hereditary | 12 February 1975 | 18 May 2016 | 1 year, 9 days | 27 May 2017 (aged 89) | |
| 2 | Lord Neill of Bladen[3] | Crossbench | Life | 28 November 1997 | 18 May 2016 | 10 days | 28 May 2016 (aged 89) | |
| 3 | Lord Thomas of Macclesfield[4] | Labour | Life | 28 November 1997 | 18 May 2016 | 2 years, 44 days | 1 July 2018 (aged 80) | |
| 4 | Baroness Thomas of Walliswood[5] | Liberal Democrat | Life | 6 October 1994 | 18 May 2016 | 7 years, 141 days | 6 October 2023 (aged 87) | |
| 5 | Baroness Turner of Camden[6] | Labour | Life | 28 May 1985 | 13 June 2017 | 3 years, 101 days | 26 February 2018 (aged 90) | |
| 6 | Lord Wolfson of Sunningdale[7] | Conservative | Life | 26 March 1991 | 13 June 2017 | 3 years, 270 days | 10 March 2021 (aged 85) | |
| 7 | Lord Selsdon[8] | Conservative | Hereditary | 30 July 1963 | 11 May 2021 | 3 years, 31 days | ||
| 8 | Lord Rogers of Riverside[9] | Labour | Life | 17 October 1996 | 11 May 2021 | 221 days | 18 December 2021 (aged 88) | |
| 9 | Lord Bhatia[10] | Non-affiliated | Life | 5 June 2001 | 7 November 2023 | 66 days | 12 January 2024 (aged 91) | |
| 10 | Lord Dixon-Smith[11] | Conservative | Life | 11 October 1993 | 7 November 2023 | 217 days | ||
See also edit
- Reform of the House of Lords (details reform proposals put forward since 1997)
- History of reform of the House of Lords (details reforms enacted since the 16th century)
- House of Lords Act 1999 (whose provisions were amended by the 2014 Act)
- Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (five Lords resigned through this Act)
- House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015
- List of members of the House of Lords#Resigned
External links edit
- "List of Peers who have resigned". Peerages.info.