House of Lords Reform Act 2014

House of Lords Reform Act 2014
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn 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 byDan Byles MP (Commons)
David Steel, Lord Steel of Aikwood (Lords)
Territorial extent United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent14 May 2014
Commencement
  • 14 August 2014 (§§ 1−2)
  • 14 May 2014 (§§ 3−7)
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Text of statute as originally enacted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.

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.[a] 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.

As of September 2024, 187 peers have resigned or retired, and a further 16 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(2017-05-27) (aged 89)
2 Lord Neill of Bladen[3] Crossbench Life 28 November 1997 18 May 2016 10 days 28 May 2016(2016-05-28) (aged 89)
3 Lord Thomas of Macclesfield[4] Labour Life 28 November 1997 18 May 2016 2 years, 44 days 1 July 2018(2018-07-01) (aged 80)
4 Baroness Thomas of Walliswood[5] Liberal Democrat Life 6 October 1994 18 May 2016 7 years, 141 days 6 October 2023(2023-10-06) (aged 87)
5 Baroness Turner of Camden[6] Labour Life 28 May 1985 13 June 2017 3 years, 101 days 26 February 2018(2018-02-26) (aged 90)
6 Lord Wolfson of Sunningdale[7] Conservative Life 26 March 1991 13 June 2017 3 years, 270 days 10 March 2021(2021-03-10) (aged 85)
7 Lord Selsdon[8] Conservative Hereditary 30 July 1963 11 May 2021 3 years, 130 days 18 September 2024(2024-09-18) (aged 86)
8 Lord Rogers of Riverside[9] Labour Life 17 October 1996 11 May 2021 221 days 18 December 2021(2021-12-18) (aged 88)
9 Lord Bhatia[10] Non-affiliated Life 5 June 2001 7 November 2023 66 days 12 January 2024(2024-01-12) (aged 91)
10 Lord Dixon-Smith[11] Conservative Life 11 October 1993 7 November 2023 1 year, 18 days
11 Lord Willoughby de Broke[12] Non-affiliated Hereditary 9 July 1986 9 July 2024 139 days
12 Lord Prescott[13] Labour Life 7 July 2010 9 July 2024 134 days 20 November 2024(2024-11-20) (aged 86)
13 Lord Davies of Oldham[14] Labour Life 3 October 1997 9 July 2024 139 days
14 Baroness Corston[15] Labour Life 29 June 2005 9 July 2024 139 days
15 Lord Black of Crossharbour[16] Non-affiliated Life 30 October 2001 9 July 2024 139 days
16 Lord Kalms[17] Non-affiliated Life 1 June 2004 9 July 2024 139 days

See also

[edit]
[edit]
  • "List of Peers who have resigned". Peerages.info.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ 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.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "House of Lords Reform Act 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 2014 c. 24
  2. ^ "Lord Bridges". UK Parliament.
  3. ^ "Lord Neill of Bladen". UK Parliament.
  4. ^ "Lord Thomas of Macclesfield". UK Parliament.
  5. ^ "Baroness Thomas of Walliswood". UK Parliament.
  6. ^ "Baroness Turner of Camden". UK Parliament.
  7. ^ "Lord Wolfson of Sunningdale". UK Parliament.
  8. ^ "Lord Selsdon". UK Parliament.
  9. ^ "Lord Rogers of Riverside". UK Parliament.
  10. ^ "Lord Bhatia". UK Parliament.
  11. ^ "Lord Dixon-Smith". UK Parliament.
  12. ^ "Lord Willoughby de Broke". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Lord Prescott". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Lord Davies of Oldham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Baroness Corston". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Lord Black of Crossharbour". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Lord Kalms". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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