King's Speech 2026: Removal of Peerages Bill

Removal of Peerages Bill

“My Ministers will also introduce legislation to enable peerages to be removed”

● It is unacceptable that disgraced peers are able to retain their peerages,
regardless of the circumstances. The Bill will create a mechanism for
removing peerages from disgraced peers.

● This will serve to protect the integrity of the peerage system and uphold
standards in public life.

What does the Bill do?

● The Bill will create a mechanism for removing peerages from disgraced peers,
without the need to introduce bespoke legislation for every individual case. It
will introduce a strengthened system of accountability for peers that applies to
both current and retired members of the House of Lords.

● The public rightly expects that peers who are, or have been, members of the
House of Lords, exercising public functions as legislators, should uphold the
highest standards in public life. Where they fall well below those standards,
they should not expect to continue to be afforded the honour of holding a
peerage.

● At the moment, disgraced peers can still benefit from their title, in terms of
their status and reputation, even if they are expelled from the House of Lords
or choose to resign.

● The Government was elected on the promise of increasing accountability and
ensuring that all serving peers meet the high standards the public expects.
Having passed the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026, which
removes the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords, the
Government secured agreement with the Lords to establish a dedicated select
committee to look at how best to implement the manifesto commitments on a
retirement age and participation requirement.

Territorial extent and application

● The Bill will extend and apply to the whole of the UK.

84
Key facts

● A peerage is a dignity conferred by the Crown. In contrast to other types of
styles, titles, and honours that can be removed under the Royal Prerogative,
there is currently no mechanism by which a peerage can be removed, and to
do so in any individual case would require an Act of Parliament.

● The Titles Deprivation Act 1917, which authorised enemies of the UK to be
deprived of their peerages during the First World War, is the most recent
example of Parliament legislating in this way. The most recent example of an
Act of Parliament specifically removing an individual’s peerage is over five
centuries old (from 1478).

● The revocation of peerages from individuals is separate to the rules related to
suspension and expulsion of members from the House of Lords. Members
can be removed from the House of Lords for various reasons, including being
sentenced to a year or more of imprisonment, for example. But expulsion from
the House of Lords does not change their title or status as a peer. This means
that a peer may be guilty of serious misconduct, including a criminal offence,
and expelled from the House, but would still hold their peerage.

● A peer may be removed from the Roll of the Peerage (an officially compiled
and maintained list, intended to contain the names of all living peers). This
means the peerage may no longer be recognised officially, but does not affect
an individual’s right to that peerage (which can only be removed by
legislation).

● The manifesto committed to ensuring “all peers meet the high standards the
public expect of them” and to “introduce a new participation requirement as
well as strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be
removed.”

● The Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Government, Hannah
White, said “The Mandelson case demonstrates why – for the good of public
trust in parliament – it is important for the House of Lords to have a
mechanism to remove peerages.”

85