header-logo header-logo

31 January 2025 / Neil Parpworth
Issue: 8102 / Categories: Features , Constitutional law
printer mail-detail

Calling time on hereditary peers? (Pt 4)

205946
What do the peers make of the Bill seeking to reform hereditary peerage? Neil Parpworth reports back from the House of Lords
  • The government’s House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill received its second reading in the House of Lords in December last year.
  • It is of no surprise that many hereditary peers spoke against the Bill. It was criticised as a partisan measure, and framed as a breach of the undertaking given to the House by the Blair government in 1999.
  • Other issues raised included the continued presence of the Lords Spiritual, and non-participation by life peers.

As previously reported, the government’s House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill has passed all of its stages in the House of Commons without amendment (see ‘Calling time on hereditary peers? Pt 1’, 174 NLJ 8089, pp9-10; ‘Pt 2’, 174 NLJ 8093, pp11-12 and ‘Pt 3’, NLJ, 10 January 2025, pp13-14). On 11 December 2024, the House of Lords gave the Bill a second reading

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jackson Lees Group—Jannina Barker, Laura Beattie & Catherine McCrindle

Jackson Lees Group—Jannina Barker, Laura Beattie & Catherine McCrindle

Firm promotes senior associate and team leader as wills, trusts and probate team expands

Asserson—Michael Francos-Downs

Asserson—Michael Francos-Downs

Manchester real estate finance practice welcomes legal director

McCarthy Denning—Harvey Knight & Martin Sandler

McCarthy Denning—Harvey Knight & Martin Sandler

Financial services and regulatory offering boosted by partner hires

NEWS
Holiday lets may promise easy returns, but restrictive covenants can swiftly scupper plans. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Francis of Serle Court recounts how covenants limiting use to a ‘private dwelling house’ or ‘private residence’ have repeatedly defeated short-term letting schemes
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already embedded in the civil courts, but regulation lags behind practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ben Roe of Baker McKenzie charts a landscape where AI assists with transcription, case management and document handling, yet raises acute concerns over evidence, advocacy and even judgment-writing
The Supreme Court has drawn a firm line under branding creativity in regulated markets. In Dairy UK Ltd v Oatly AB, it ruled that Oatly’s ‘post-milk generation’ trade mark unlawfully deployed a protected dairy designation. In NLJ this week, Asima Rana of DWF explains that the court prioritised ‘regulatory clarity over creative branding choices’, holding that ‘designation’ extends beyond product names to marketing slogans
From cat fouling to Part 36 brinkmanship, the latest 'Civil way' round-up is a reminder that procedural skirmishes can have sharp teeth. NLJ columnist Stephen Gold ranges across recent decisions with his customary wit
Digital loot may feel like property, but civil law is not always convinced. In NLJ this week, Paul Schwartfeger of 36 Stone and Nadia Latti of CMS examine fraud involving platform-controlled digital assets, from ‘account takeover and asset stripping’ to ‘value laundering’
back-to-top-scroll