ByJill Lawless
October 16, 2024
London: Like his ancestors for centuries, the Earl of Devon serves in the British parliament, helping to make the laws of the land. But not for much longer.
British MPs have voted to approve in principle a bill to strip hereditary aristocrats of the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords after more than 700 years. The Labour Party government says the decision will complete a long-stalled reform of parliament’s upper chamber and remove an “outdated and indefensible” relic.
“In the 21st century, there should not be places in our parliament, making our laws, reserved for those who are born into certain families,” Constitution Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said as he opened debate on the bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Members of the House of Lords take their seats in the Lords Chamber, ahead of the State Opening of Parliament in July.CREDIT:AP
He noted that Britain was one of only two countries — the other is Lesotho — with a hereditary element in its parliament.
But Lord Devon thinks it’s risky to tinker with the UK’s unwritten constitution, which “has survived an awful lot of slings and arrows of misfortune over a thousand years”.
“The fact that I am doing a job that was granted by the Empress Matilda to my forebear in 1142, and is still ongoing and is still functioning, is a remarkable example of consistency and continuity,” said the earl, a 49-year-old lawyer whose given name is Charles Peregrine Courtenay.
Britain’s parliament has two chambers: the House of Commons, whose members are directly elected by voters in 650 constituencies across the UK, and the unelected House of Lords. For centuries, the House of Lords was made up of noblemen – women were not allowed until 1963 – whose voting rights were passed down to their children along with their titles. In the 1950s, they were joined by “life peers” — retired politicians, civic leaders and other notables appointed by the government.
In 1999, the Labour government of then-prime minister Tony Blair evicted most of the more than 750 hereditary peers from the Lords, though to avoid an aristocrats’ rebellion, 92 were allowed to remain temporarily.
A quarter-century on, 88 heirs are still there, an all-male group with an average age of almost 70. When one dies or retires, their fellow blue-bloods hold elections to replace them. Courtenay joined the House of Lords in 2018 after winning an election in which there were 19 candidates and 31 eligible voters.
The second-largest legislative assembly after China’s National People’s Congress: Britain’s House of Lords.CREDIT:AP
Peers who sit in the ornate, gilded Lords chamber do not receive a salary but can claim £361 a day ($706) in expenses and can enjoy parliament’s subsidised bars, tearooms and restaurants. It’s a job for life unless members choose to retire or — in a recent change — are expelled for non-attendance.
The appointment of peers by successive governments means the Lords is overstuffed, with about 800 members — the second-largest legislative chamber in the world after China’s National People’s Congress.
The opposition Scottish National Party has filed a motion to abolish the House of Lords altogether, though that stands little chance of passing. Labour remains committed eventually to replacing the Lords with “an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the UK”.
While more Lords support the Conservatives than any other party — others, like Courtenay, are non-aligned — some on the left of British politics have come to value the upper house for its role in helping to moderate controversial plans by the previous Conservative government over Brexit and immigration.
Labour’s large House of Commons majority meant MPs overwhelmingly approved sending the bill on for further scrutiny after rejecting a Conservative attempt to block it.
“The checks and balances of the Lords — its tried and tested conventions — work,” said Conservative MP Oliver Dowden, a former deputy prime minister. “We should only fix what is broken and be cautious about rushing into change.”
The bill has to pass the House of Lords to become law. The House of Lords has the power to delay and amend legislation approved by the Commons but ultimately can’t block it. It is likely to become law in the coming year.
Courtenay, who owns Powderham Castle and its 1400-hectare estate in the south-western English county of Devon, is sanguine about becoming the last in his storied family to sit in parliament.
Lord Devon, given name Charles Peregrine Courtenay, is a hereditary member of the British House of Lords.CREDIT:ROGER HARRIS/WIKIMEDIA/CC
“We were responsible for crowning Henry VII. We fought alongside the Black Prince at the Battle of Crecy, and we financed the Agincourt campaign in 1415. And we were first cousins of Henry VIII until he chopped our head off,” he said. “So we’ve been somewhat involved in the workings of government over a long, long time.
“And outside of those moments in the spotlight, there’s been an awful lot of plodding along, trying to support Devon and help the community … a long and satisfying service, which will continue.”
AP
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