Tuesday, August 13, 2024

EXCLUSIVE: Majority of public say hereditary peers in the House of Lords should be abolished, poll finds

Basit Mahmood 
Yesterday
Left Foot Forward



When it comes to party affiliation, a majority of Conservative Party voters, 54%, supported abolishing hereditary peers, as do 57% of Labour Party voters, 61% of Lib Dem voters and 63% of Green Party voters.



A majority of voters believe that the House of Lords should abolish hereditary peers, a new poll for LFF has found.

The poll, carried out by Savanta on behalf of LFF, found that 56% of those asked believe that the House of Lords should abolish hereditary peers, compared to just 19% who say that the Lords should continue to have hereditary peers.

It comes after the Labour Party pledged immediate reform to the House of Lords in its manifesto and the King’s speech contained proposals to ensure that the 100 or so hereditary peers will no longer be able to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

The party’s leader in the House of Lords, Baroness Smith, has previously said that it would be “hard to justify taking a place in the legislature on the basis of who your parents, grandparents etc were”.

Support for abolishing hereditary peers is highest among older age groups, with 59% of those aged 45-54 supporting abolishing hereditary peers, with the figure rising to 68% among those aged 55-64. When it comes to 18-24 year olds, 40% of those asked supported abolishing hereditary peers.

When it comes to party affiliation, a majority of Conservative Party voters, 54%, supported abolishing hereditary peers, as do 57% of Labour Party voters, 61% of Lib Dem voters and 63% of Green Party voters.

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward

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