Life peer

In the United Kingdom, Life Peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as hereditary peers). Nowadays, life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and carry with them, presuming the recipient meets qualifications such as age and citizenship, seats in the House of Lords.

Life Peerages Act

The Life Peerages Act sanctions the regular granting of life peerages, but the power to appoint Lords of Appeal in Ordinary under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act was not derogated. No limits were placed on the number of peerages that the Sovereign may award, as was done by the Appellate Jurisdiction Act. A peer created under the Life Peerages Act has the right to sit in the House of Lords, provided he is twenty-one years of age, is not suffering punishment upon conviction for treason and is a citizen of the United Kingdom, of the Republic of Ireland or of a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Related Topics:
United Kingdom - Republic of Ireland - Commonwealth of Nations

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Life baronies under the Life Peerages Act are theoretically created by the Sovereign, but in practice, none is granted except upon the proposition of the Prime Minister. Individuals may be created after retiring from important public offices, such as Speaker of the House of Commons or Prime Minister. From time to time, Working Peers' Lists are published. "Working peers" do not form a formal class, but represent the various political parties and are expected to regularly attend the House of Lords. Additionally, individuals may be created peers in various honours lists as rewards for merit; these peers are not expected to be regular attendees of the House of Lords, but are at liberty to do so if they please. The New Year Honours List, the Birthday Honours List (to mark the Sovereign's official birthday, the second Saturday in June), the Dissolution Honours List (to mark the dissolution of Parliament) and the Resignation Honours List (to mark the end of a Prime Minister's tenure) have all been used to announce life peerage creations. Now, however, non-partisan peers are not announced in the various honours lists, but are rather created upon the recommendations of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

Related Topics:
Life Peerages Act - Prime Minister - Working Peers' Lists - "Working peers" - New Year Honours List - Birthday Honours List - Dissolution Honours List - Resignation Honours List - House of Lords Appointments Commission

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Life peerages may be awarded to certain important public functionaries upon retirement. Every Archbishop of Canterbury who has retired since 1958 has also been created a life peer. Life Peerages have been granted to Speakers of the House of Commons upon retirement (as well as, occasionally, hereditary peerages in the form of viscountcies).

Related Topics:
Archbishop of Canterbury - 1958 - Speakers of the House of Commons

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Important cabinet officials have generally been created life peers upon retirement from the House of Commons. Many Prime Ministers, including Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Sir Harold Wilson, Sir James Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher, have been created life peers following their retirement from the House of Commons. Neither Sir Edward Heath nor Sir John Major has been made a peer, while two Prime Ministers —Sir Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan— were given hereditary titles as Lord Avon and Lord Stockton. Other important cabinet officials, including Chancellors of the Exchequer, Home Secretaries, Foreign Secretaries and Defence Secretaries, retiring since 1958 have generally been created life peers. Some, such as William Whitelaw, were created hereditary viscounts. Others, like Kenneth Clarke and Sir John Major, were not granted any peerages.

Related Topics:
Sir Alec Douglas-Home - Sir Harold Wilson - Sir James Callaghan - Margaret Thatcher - Sir Edward Heath - Sir John Major - Sir Anthony Eden - Harold Macmillan - Lord Avon - Lord Stockton - Chancellors of the Exchequer - Home Secretaries - Foreign Secretaries - Defence Secretaries - William Whitelaw - Kenneth Clarke

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High judicial officers have sometimes been created life peers upon taking office. All Lord Chief Justices of England and Wales have, since 1958, been created life peers under the Life Peerages Act, with the exception of the present Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, who was already a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary before becoming Lord Chief Justice.

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Life peerages may in certain cases be awarded to hereditary peers. After the House of Lords Act 1999 passed, many hereditary peers of the first creation, including Sir Toby Low, 1st Baron Aldington; Frederick Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale; Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, and 1st Baron Pakenham and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, were all created life peers, as they did not inherit their titles but would still be excluded by the House of Lords Act 1999. None of the peers of the first creation who were members of the Royal Family were granted life peerages. Life peerages were also granted to former Leaders of the House of Lords, including John Julian Ganzoni, 2nd Baron Belstead, Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, also (Viscount Cranborne and Lord Cecil of Essendon by virtue of a writ of acceleration), George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, Malcolm Shepherd, 2nd Baron Shepherd and David Hennessy, 3rd Baron Windlesham.

Related Topics:
House of Lords Act 1999 - Sir Toby Low - 1st Baron Aldington - Frederick Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale - Frank Pakenham, - 7th Earl of Longford - 1st Baron Pakenham - Antony Armstrong-Jones - 1st Earl of Snowdon - John Julian Ganzoni - 2nd Baron Belstead - Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington - Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury - Viscount Cranborne - Lord Cecil of Essendon - George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe - Malcolm Shepherd, 2nd Baron Shepherd - David Hennessy, 3rd Baron Windlesham

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In most cases, peers are created on a partisan basis. Normally, the Prime Minister chooses only peers for his own party, but permits the leaders of opposition parties to recommend peers from those parties. The Prime Minister may determine the number of peers each party may propose; he may also choose to amend these recommendations, but by convention does not do so.

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Individuals who have not served in public office may also be created peers on a non-partisan basis. Formerly, the Prime Minister determined which peers could be created on the basis of merit, but that task has now passed to the House of Lords Appointments Commission, established in 2000. The Commission both scrutinises these recommendations and nominates non-partisan candidates on the basis of merit. The Commission includes a Chairman, three non-partisan peers, one Conservative peer, one Labour peer and one Liberal Democrat peer. The Prime Minister may determine the number of peers the Commission may propose, and also may amend the recommendations. Again, by convention, no amendment is made to the recommendations of the Commission.

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Unlike Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, life peers created under the Life Peerages Act do not, unless they also hold ministerial positions, receive salaries. They are, however, entitled to allowances for travel and accommodation.

Related Topics:
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary - Life Peerages Act

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