Last Labour government removed most hereditary peers from the Lords in 1999, but allowed 92 to remain
By Bill Heaney
The Government will begin the process of removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords today (Thursday), as it introduces legislation to reform the upper chamber.
Abolishing the 92 seats reserved for hereditary peers, who include the Duke of Montrose, one of East Loch Lomondside’s biggest landowners, was one of Labour’s manifesto commitments, and is expected to be followed by the imposition of a retirement age of 80 on members of the Lords.
An on-line biography states that the Duke of Montrose (named for Montrose, Angus) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. The title was created anew in 1707, for James (Seumus) Graham, 4th Marquess of Montrose, great-grandson of famed James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose.
The Duke of Montrose, pictured above with the family coat of arms, was elevated as a reward for his important support of the Act of Union. It has remained since then in the Graham family, tied to the chieftainship of Clan Graham. Over many years, the Duke has been a familiar figure at the Dryman Agricultura Show and has attended the Scottish Open Golf Championship at Rossdhu, seat of the Clan Colquhoun, at Loch Lomond Golf Club, Luss.
The Duke’s subsidiary titles are: Marquess of Montrose (created 1644), Marquess of Graham and Buchanan (1707), Earl of Montrose (1503), Earl of Kincardine (1644), Earl Graham (1722), Viscount Dundaff (1707), Lord Graham (1445), Lord Graham and Mugdock (1644), Lord Aberruthven, Mugdock and Fintrie (1707) and Baron Graham, of Belford (1722). The titles of Earl Graham and Baron Graham are in the Peerage of Great Britain; the rest are in the Peerage of Scotland. The eldest son of the Duke uses the courtesy title of Marquess of Graham and Buchanan.
The family seat is Auchmar House, near Loch Lomond, pictured top of page. It was previously Buchanan Castle, near Drymen, on the site of the golf course there.
Officials have previously described the continued presence of hereditary peers in the Lords as “outdated and indefensible”, with reform “long overdue and essential”.
But Conservative critics have called the move a “vendetta” and “political vandalism”.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, minister for the constitution, said the legislation was a “landmark reform to our constitution”.
He said: “The hereditary principle in law-making has lasted for too long and is out of step with modern Britain.
“The second chamber plays a vital role in our constitution and people should not be voting on our laws in Parliament by an accident of birth.
“This Bill shows this government’s commitment to delivering on our manifesto and is an important part of putting politics in the service of working people.”
The last Labour government removed most hereditary peers from the Lords in 1999, but allowed 92 to remain in what was initially intended to be a short-term compromise to get the legislation through.
About half of those still in the chamber are Conservatives, with the rest mainly independent Crossbenchers and a small number of Labour and Liberal Democrat peers.
Former Labour MP for West Dunbartonshire, Dumbarton man John McFall, now Lord Alcluith, pictured right, is the current Speaker in the House of Lords, but is not a hereditary peer.
Current hereditary peers in the House of Lords include Lord Attlee, grandson of the Labour prime minister Clement Attlee; the Duke of Wellington, whose great-great-great-grandfather defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815; and Viscount Stansgate, whose father Tony Benn renounced his peerage to sit in the Commons, where he became a prominent figure on the left of the Labour Party.
The total also includes two peers, the Earl Marshal and Lord Great Chamberlain, whose right to sit and vote in the House of Lords will be removed, however they will retain the constitutional duties they perform on state occasions.
Baroness Angela Smith, the Leader of the House of Lords, said: “While recognising the valuable contributions many hereditary peers have made to Parliament, it is right that this reform is being brought forward now, completing work we began 25 years ago.
“Removing the hereditary principle from the Lords will deliver on a specific manifesto commitment. It will also help deliver on our commitment to reduce the size of the second chamber, as we bring forward further reforms.”
Labour remains formally committed to abolishing the House of Lords and replacing it with an elected chamber, but the party’s 2024 manifesto promised only to “consult on proposals”.
Auchmar House is pictured top of page.