Closed petition Reform the House of Lords so that only the life peers remain as members.

Closed on 4 August 2022

As an interim step towards replacing the House of Lords with a more democratically legitimate institution, remove from membership NOW the 92 hereditary peers (comprising dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons) and the 26 Bishops of the Church of England.

The hereditary principle runs counter to the principle of democratic representation and to the attainment of public office by election or appointment. The "hereditaries" need to be removed altogether, taking further the reforms of the House of Lords Act 1999. There is also no legitimate democratic basis for 26 C of E Bishops to sit as the "Lords Spiritual". These reforms reduce the size of the House of Lords, with all remaining members being life peers.