View source for Life peer

{{Short description|Appointed member of the peerage of the United Kingdom whose title cannot be inherited}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014|reason=Dukedom of Edinburgh}}
{{Peerage |Types}}

In the [[United Kingdom]], '''life peers''' are appointed members of the [[Peerages in the United Kingdom|peerage]] whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to [[hereditary peer]]s. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] of the prime minister. With the exception of the [[Dukedom of Edinburgh]] awarded for life to [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Edward]] in 2023, all life peerages conferred since 2009 have been created under the [[Life Peerages Act 1958]] with the rank of [[Baron#Britain and Ireland|baron]]. Such peerages entitle (or perhaps obligate) the holder to sit and vote in the [[House of Lords]] (so long as they meet qualifications such as age and citizenship). Prior to 2009, life peers of baronial rank could also be created under the [[Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876]] for senior judges, referred to as [[Law Lords]], with functions then taken over by the new [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom|Supreme Court]]. 

The [[Legitimacy (family law)|legitimate children]] of a life peer appointed under the Life Peerages Act 1958 are entitled to [[Style (manner of address)|style]] themselves with the prefix "[[The Honourable]]", although they cannot inherit the peerage. 

==Before 1887==
{{see also|Pre-1876 life peerages |Cromwell's Other House}}

[[The Crown]], as ''[[fount of honour]]'', creates peerages of two types: hereditary, or for life. In the early days of the peerage, the sovereign had the right to summon individuals to one Parliament without being bound to summon them again. Over time,{{when|date=April 2021}} it was established that once summoned, a peer would have to be summoned for the remainder of their life, and later, that the peer's heirs and successors would also be summoned, thereby firmly entrenching the hereditary principle.

Nevertheless, life peerages lingered. From the reign of [[James I of England|James I]] to that of [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] (between 1603 and 1760), 18 life peerages were created for women. Women, however, were excluded from sitting in the House of Lords, so it was unclear whether or not a life peerage would entitle a man to do the same. For over four centuries—if one excludes those who sat in [[Cromwell's House of Lords]] (or Other House) during the [[Interregnum (England)|Interregnum]]—no man had claimed a seat in the Lords by virtue of a life peerage. In 1856, it was thought necessary to add a peer learned in law to the House of Lords (which was the [[Judicial functions of the House of Lords|final court of appeal]]), without allowing the peer's heirs to sit in the House and swell its numbers. [[James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale|Sir James Parke]], a [[Exchequer of Pleas#Barons|Baron]] (judge) of the [[Exchequer of pleas|Exchequer]], was created Baron Wensleydale for life, but the House of Lords concluded that the peerage did not entitle him to sit in the House of Lords. Lord Wensleydale was therefore appointed a hereditary peer (in any case, he had no sons, so his peerage did not pass to an heir) ''(See also [[Peerage law#Wensleydale Peerage Case (1856)|Wensleydale Peerage Case (1856)]])''.

The Government introduced a bill to authorise the creation of two life peerages carrying seats in the House of Lords for judges who had held office for at least five years. The House of Lords passed it, but the bill was lost in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]].

In 1869, a more comprehensive life peerages bill was brought forward by [[John Russell, 1st Earl Russell|the Earl Russell]]. At any one time, 28 life peerages could be in existence; no more than four were to be created in any one year. Life peers were to be chosen from senior judges, civil servants, senior officers of the [[British Army]] or [[Royal Navy]], members of the House of Commons who had served for at least ten years, scientists, writers, artists, [[peerage of Scotland|peers of Scotland]], and [[peerage of Ireland|peers of Ireland]]. (Peers of Scotland and Ireland did not all have seats in the House of Lords, instead electing a number of [[representative peer]]s.) The bill was rejected by the House of Lords at its [[third reading]].

The [[Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876]] permitted the creation of life peerages with the rank of baron for [[judicial functions of the House of Lords|senior judges in the House of Lords]]. Initially it was intended that the [[Lord of Appeal in Ordinary|Lords of Appeal in Ordinary]] created in this way (for their titles, see the [[list of law life peerages]]) would only sit in the [[House of Lords]] while serving their term as judges, but in 1887 (on the retirement of [[Colin Blackburn, Baron Blackburn|Lord Blackburn]], the first person appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876) the [[Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1887]] provided that former judges would retain their seats for life.<ref>[[William Sharp McKechnie|McKechnie, William Sharp]], 1909: [https://archive.org/details/reformofhouseofl00mckeuoft ''The reform of the House of Lords; with a criticism of the Report of the Select Committee of 2nd December, 1908''], p.13</ref> The practice of appointing life peers under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 ended with the creation of the [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom]] in 2009. Sitting judges of the Supreme Court are not automatically given life peerages but are entitled to use the [[judicial courtesy title]] of "Lord" or "Lady" for life.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.supremecourt.uk/docs/pr_1013.pdf|title=Courtesy titles for Justices of the Supreme Court|date=13 December 2010|publisher=Supreme Court of the United Kingdom|access-date=14 December 2010|archive-date=7 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207071932/https://www.supremecourt.uk/docs/pr_1013.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Life Peerages Act 1958==
{{main|Life Peerages Act 1958}}

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]]. The Act placed no limits 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 that they are at least 21 years of age, are not suffering punishment upon conviction for [[treason]], and are a citizen of the United Kingdom, or of a member of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Companion to the Standing Orders and Guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords |publisher=[[House of Lords]] |pages=1–3 |edition=25th |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldcomp/compso2017/compso03.htm#a2 |access-date=8 April 2022}}</ref> and are a resident in the UK for tax purposes.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 April 2010|title=Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/25/part/4|website=legislation.gov.uk|publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |access-date=8 April 2022 }}</ref>

Life baronies under the Life Peerages Act are created by the sovereign but, in practice, are only granted when proposed by the [[List of British Prime Ministers|Prime Minister]].

Life peers created under the Life Peerages Act do not, unless they also hold ministerial positions, receive salaries. They are, however, entitled to an allowance of £361 for travel and accommodation for each day on which the peer "signs in" to the House, though the peer does not have to take part in the business of the House.

==="Working peers"===
From time to time, lists of "working peers" are published.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/11/peerages-honours-and-appointments-2-57256|title=Latest peerages announced - GOV.UK}}</ref> They do not form a formal class, but represent the various political parties and are expected to regularly attend the House of Lords. Most new appointments of life peers fall into this category.

Normally, the Prime Minister chooses only peers from their own party, but permits the leaders of opposition parties to recommend peers from their parties. The Prime Minister may determine the number of peers each party may propose; they may also choose to amend these recommendations, but by convention do not do so.

==="People's peers"===
Peers may be created on a ''non-partisan basis''. Formerly, nominations on merit alone were made by the prime minister, but this function was partially transferred to a new, non-statutory [[House of Lords Appointments Commission]] in 2000. Individuals recommended for the peerage by the commission go on to become what have been described by some in the British media as "people's peers".<ref>{{cite web | title='People's peers' under scrutiny|author=BBC| work=Caltech|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1950254.stm| access-date=19 November 2006 | date=25 April 2002 | location=London}}</ref> The commission also scrutinises party recommendations for working peerages to ensure propriety. 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.

===Honours===
Individuals may be created peers in various honours lists as rewards for achievement; these peers are not expected to attend the House of Lords regularly, but are at liberty to do so if they please. The [[New Year Honours|New Year Honours List]], the [[Birthday Honours|King's Birthday Honours List]] (to mark the [[King's Official Birthday#United Kingdom|sovereign's official birthday]], the third 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) are all used to announce life peerage creations.

===Public offices===
Creations may be made for individuals on retirement from important public offices, such as prime minister, [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]] or [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] or [[Archbishop of York|York]].

[[Alec Douglas-Home|Sir Alec Douglas-Home]], who had renounced his hereditary title of the 14th [[Earl of Home]] on becoming prime minister, was the first former occupant of the office to receive a life barony. [[Harold Wilson]], [[James Callaghan]] and [[Margaret Thatcher]] all took life peerages following their retirement from the House of Commons. [[David Cameron]] took a life peerage upon his appointment as foreign secretary under Rishi Sunak. [[Theresa May]] was granted a life peerage in the [[2024 Dissolution Honours]]. [[Edward Heath]]{{cn|date=April 2019}} and [[John Major]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/962335.stm |title=Major to turn down peerage |publisher=BBC News |date=8 October 2000 |access-date=16 August 2013}}</ref> chose not to become peers. [[Tony Blair]], [[Gordon Brown]], [[Boris Johnson]], and [[Liz Truss]] have yet to receive a peerage. {{As of|April 2025}}, [[Rishi Sunak]] is still serving as an MP. 

[[Harold Macmillan]] declined a peerage on leaving office, but over 20 years after retiring he accepted a second offer of the customary hereditary earldom for retiring prime ministers, as [[Earl of Stockton]] (1984); this was the last earldom to be offered outside the [[British royal family|royal family]]. While [[David Lloyd George]] also waited a similar period for [[Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor|his earldom]], most offers have been made and accepted shortly after retirement such as the Earls of [[Earl of Oxford and Asquith|Oxford and Asquith]], [[Earl Baldwin of Bewdley|Baldwin]], [[Earl Attlee|Attlee]] and [[Earl of Avon|Avon]].

Many Cabinet members, including [[Chancellor of the Exchequer|Chancellors of the Exchequer]], [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|Foreign Secretaries]], [[Secretary of State for the Home Department|Home Secretaries]] and [[Secretary of State for Defence|Defence Secretaries]], retiring since 1958 have generally been created life peers. [[William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw|William Whitelaw]] was created a hereditary viscount on the recommendation of Margaret Thatcher. Viscount Whitelaw died without male issue.

Life peerages have generally been granted to [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speakers of the House of Commons]] upon retirement since 1971, who sit as crossbenchers. (Previously, retiring Speakers had by custom received a hereditary peerage between 1780 and 1970, usually a [[viscountcy]].) George Thomas was the only Speaker after 1971 who still received a hereditary peerage instead of a life peerage, being created [[Viscount Tonypandy]], but he died without male issue. 
The convention was broken in 2020 when retiring Speaker [[John Bercow]] was not granted a life peerage, the first denial of a peerage to a former Speaker in over 200 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/30/john-bercow-will-not-get-peerage-despite-corbyn-nomination|title = John Bercow will not get peerage despite Corbyn nomination|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = 30 May 2020}}</ref> At the time, Bercow was under investigation by the [[Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards]] regarding allegations of bullying, with the government claiming that Bercow would fail a "propriety test" conducted for all nominees. Unusually, Bercow was nominated for a peerage by then-Leader of the Opposition and Labour leader [[Jeremy Corbyn]].

The Prime Minister continues to recommend a small number of former public office-holders for peerages. This generally includes Chiefs of Defence Staff, Secretaries of the Cabinet, and Heads of the Diplomatic Service. Every Archbishop of Canterbury who has retired since 1958 has been created a life peer, as have most recent Archbishops of York on retirement. A small number of other bishops—such as [[David Sheppard]] of Liverpool and [[Richard Harries, Baron Harries of Pentregarth|Richard Harries]] of Oxford—were ennobled on retiring. The [[Lord Chamberlain]] is traditionally a member of the House of Lords and so is ennobled on appointment (if not already a peer), while most retiring [[Private Secretary to the Sovereign|Private Secretaries to the Sovereign]] and [[Governor of the Bank of England|Governors of the Bank of England]] have also become peers.

High judicial officers have sometimes been created life peers upon taking office. All [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales|Lord Chief Justices of England and Wales]] have, since 1958, been created life peers under the Life Peerages Act, with the exception of [[Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf|Lord Woolf]], who was already a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary before becoming Lord Chief Justice. Similarly, [[Robert Reed, Baron Reed of Allermuir|Lord Reed]] was created a life peer in 2019 when he was appointed [[President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom|President of the Supreme Court]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Crown Office|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/3471861|access-date=2020-10-05|website=www.thegazette.co.uk}}</ref> all of his predecessors in that role having already been created life peers as former Lords of Appeal in Ordinary.

Life peerages may in certain cases be awarded to hereditary peers. After the [[House of Lords Act 1999]] passed, several hereditary peers of the first creation, who had not inherited their titles but would still be excluded from the House of Lords by the Act, were created life peers: [[Toby Low, 1st Baron Aldington]]; [[Frederick James Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale]]; [[Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford]] and [[Baron Pakenham|1st Baron Pakenham]]; and [[Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon]]. None of the peers of the first creation who were members of the royal family was granted a life peerage, as they had all declined. Life peerages were also granted to former [[Leader of the House of Lords|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]] (better known as [[Viscount Cranborne]] and [[Lord Cecil of Essendon]], having attended the Lords by virtue of a [[writ of acceleration]]); [[George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe]]; [[Malcolm Shepherd, 2nd Baron Shepherd]]; and [[David Hennessy, 3rd Baron Windlesham]].

As part of the celebrations to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the [[Life Peerages Act 1958|Life Peerages Act]], [[Gareth Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn]] was voted by the members of the House of Lords at the time as the outstanding life peer since the creation of the life peerage.<ref name="grtstpeer">{{cite web|url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/epolitix/20080715/tpl-former-lords-leader-honoured-with-aw-0a1c1a1.html |title=Former Lords leader honoured with award |work=Yahoo/Epolitix |access-date=20 July 2008 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==Number of life peers==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="float:right; margin:1em"
|+ Peers created under the Life Peerages Act 1958<ref name=ukpeeragecreations>{{cite web |url=http://www.peerages.info/admintable.htm  |title=United Kingdom peerage creations 1801 to 2021 |last=Beamish |first=David |author-link=David Beamish |website=www.peerages.info |access-date=7 June 2021}}, as of 7 June 2021</ref>
|-
! Prime Minister !! colspan=2|Party !! Tenure !! No. of<br>peers !! Per year
|-
| [[Harold Macmillan]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} || Conservative
| 1957–1963
| align=right|46
| 7.7{{efn|Macmillan's average calculated for the five years under the Act.}}
|-
| [[Alec Douglas-Home]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} || Conservative
| 1963–1964
| align=right|16
| 16.0
|-
| [[Harold Wilson]]
| {{party color cell|Labour Party (UK)}} || Labour
| 1964–1970
| align=right|122
| 20.3{{efn|name=Wilson|Wilson's combined average is 25.4 life peerages per year}}
|-
| [[Edward Heath]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} || Conservative
| 1970–1974
| align=right|58
| 14.5
|-
| [[Harold Wilson]]
| {{party color cell|Labour Party (UK)}} || Labour
| 1974–1976
| align=right|80
| 40.0{{efn|name=Wilson}}
|-
| [[James Callaghan]]
| {{party color cell|Labour Party (UK)}} || Labour
| 1976–1979
| align=right|58
| 19.3
|-
| [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} || Conservative
| 1979–1990
| align=right|201
| 18.2
|-
| [[John Major]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} || Conservative
| 1990–1997
|align=right|160
| 26.7 <!-- Major governed only for 6.4 years (28 November 1990 – 2 May 1997), rounded to 6 years as the other PMs' "Per year" averages are also based on the rounded number of years of tenure-->
|-
| [[Tony Blair]]
| {{party color cell|Labour Party (UK)}} || Labour
| 1997–2007
| align=right|357
| 35.7
|-
| [[Gordon Brown]]
| {{party color cell|Labour Party (UK)}} || Labour
| 2007–2010
| align=right|34
| 11.3
|-
| [[David Cameron]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} || Conservative
| 2010–2016
| align=right|243
| 40.5
|-
| [[Theresa May]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} || Conservative
| 2016–2019
| align=right|43
| 14.3
|-
| [[Boris Johnson]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} || Conservative
| 2019–2022
| align=right|87
| 29
|-
| [[Liz Truss]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} ||Conservative
| 2022
| align=right|3
| 3

|-
| [[Rishi Sunak]]
| {{party color cell|Conservative and Unionist Party (UK)}} ||Conservative
| 2022–2024
| align=right|58
| 29

|-
| [[Keir Starmer]]
| {{party color cell|Labour Party (UK)}} || Labour
| 2024–present
| align=right| 75
| 75

|-
|colspan=4|'''Total'''
|align=center|'''1,668'''
|''24.5''
|-
|colspan=7|<small>Life peerages conferred on hereditary peers (from 1999 onwards) are not included in the numbers.</small> 
|-
|}
<!--Some math can be removed if/when Hereditary peers are removed-->
As of {{HOL|DATE}}, there are {{#invoke:math|sum|{{HOL|TOTAL}}|-87|-{{HOL|BP}}}} life peers eligible to vote in the House of Lords.<ref name=parl>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/lords/composition-of-the-lords/|title=Lords by party, type of peerage and gender|website=UK Parliament}}</ref> This includes {{#invoke:math|sum|{{HOL|CON}}|-45}} Conservative, {{#invoke:math|sum|{{HOL|LAB}}-4}} Labour, {{#invoke:math|sum|{{HOL|LD}}|-4}} Liberal Democrat, and {{#invoke:math|sum|{{HOL|CB}}|-32}} crossbench peers. There are also {{#invoke:math|sum|{{HOL|DUP}}|{{HOL|UUP}}|{{HOL|GP}}|{{HOL|PC}}}} others representing 4 other parties<!--DUP, Green, UUP, Plaid Cymru-->, {{#invoke:math|sum|{{HOL|NA}}|-2}} non-affiliated, {{HOL|IND}} labelling themselves as "independent" but close to a party<!--Independent Labour, Conservative Independent etc.-->, and the Lord Speaker.<ref name=parl/> In addition, there are about 70 life peers <!-- about 100 retired peers are listed in the source, of whom about 30 have already died--> who have retired from the House of Lords since 2010, as well as several who have been removed for non-attendance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/lords/retired-lords/|title=Retired members of the House of Lords|website=UK Parliament}}</ref> There are currently {{#invoke:math|sum|{{HOL|INEL}}|-1}} life peers who are members but ineligible to sit, either because of temporary suspension, a requested leave of absence, or holding of certain judicial offices.

The Appellate Jurisdiction Act originally provided for the appointment of two Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, who would continue to serve while holding judicial office, though in 1887, they were permitted to continue to sit in the House of Lords for life, under the style and dignity of baron. The number of Lords of Appeal in Ordinary was increased from time to time – to three in 1882, to four in 1891, to six in 1913, to seven in 1919, to nine in 1947, to 11 in 1968 and to 12 in 1994. These provisions were repealed by the [[Constitutional Reform Act 2005]] which created the [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom]]. That Act also provided that holders of judicial offices, including Justice of the Supreme Court, who are for that reason disqualified from the House of Commons or the Northern Ireland Assembly, are now also disqualified from taking up their seats in the House of Lords if they are peers (as the former Law Lords all were).<ref>{{Cite legislation UK |type=act |act=Constitutional Reform Act 2005 |year=2005 |chapter=4 |section=137}}</ref><!-- Judges disqualified from the Commons are also disqualified from the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd: Scotland Act 1998 s. 15(1)(a); Government of Wales Act 1998 s. 12(1)(a). But that point is properly off topic for this article. -->

The rate of creation of life peerages under the Life Peerages Act fluctuated over time, with a high rate being most common right after there is a change in the party of government (ie, an opposition party wins an election). Thus, each of [[David Cameron]] and [[Tony Blair]] have created life peerages at high rates, at 40.5 and 35.7 peerages per year respectively; the present Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer likewise is recommending appointments at a relatively high rate.

Conservative Prime Ministers have created on average 21 life peers per year in office, Labour Prime Ministers an average of 27 per year. In absolute terms, the Conservatives (in 40 years) have created slightly more (853 out of 1504, as of June 2022) life peerages than Labour (651 in 24 years); in addition, the vast majority (61) of the 68<!-- including promotions and extra/courtesy titles --> non-royal<!-- royal ones – for Princes Edward, Andrew, William & Harry – are presumably created on the monarch's own initiative --> ''hereditary'' peerages created since 1958 were created under Conservative Prime Ministers (especially Macmillan). Only three non-royal hereditary peerages have been created since 1965 (all under Thatcher), and none since 1984.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.peerages.info/peerages6.htm |title=United Kingdom peerage creations 1801 to 2021 |last=Beamish |first=David |website=www.peerages.info |access-date=24 June 2022}}</ref>

In 1999, there were 172 Conservative and 160 Labour life peers in the House of Lords, and by 4 January 2010, there were 141 Conservative and 207 Labour life peers in the House of Lords. The hereditary element of the House of Lords, however, was much less balanced. In 1999, for example, immediately before most hereditary peers<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hereditarypeers.com|title=Home Page}}</ref> were removed by the [[House of Lords Act 1999|House of Lords Act]], there were 350 Conservative hereditary peers, compared with 19 Labour peers and 23 [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] peers.

==Disclaiming==
The [[Peerage Act 1963]] allows the holder of a hereditary peerage to disclaim their title for life. There is no such provision for life peers. The [[Cameron–Clegg coalition|Coalition Government]]'s draft proposal for Lords reform in 2011 provided "that a person who holds a life peerage may at any time disclaim that peerage by writing to the Lord Chancellor. The person [and their spouse and children] will be divested of all rights and interests attaching to [that] peerage."<ref>[https://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/house-of-lords-reform-draft-bill.pdf House of Lords Reform Draft Bill] (Clause 62)</ref> This proposal did not become law. In 2014 under the [[House of Lords Reform Act 2014|House of Lords Reform Act]] it became possible for peers to resign from the House of Lords and the next year's [[House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015|House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act]] authorised the Lords to expel a peer (both without disclaiming the peerage).

==Titles and forms of address==
{{main|Forms of address in the United Kingdom#Nobility}}

Most [[Baron#Britain and Ireland|barons or baronesses for life]] take a title based on their [[surname]], either alone (e.g. [[Roy Hattersley|Baron Hattersley]]) or in combination with a [[Toponymy|placename]] (known as a [[territorial designation]]) to differentiate them from others of the same surname (e.g. [[Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws|Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws]]).<ref>[https://historyofparliament.com/2024/11/19/peers-titles-in-the-twentieth-century/ What’s in a Name? How Peers Settled Their Titles in the Twentieth Century]</ref> Surnames need not be used at all if desired.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4123628.stm |title=Banks changes name for Lords life |work=BBC News |date=23 June 2005 |access-date=19 July 2022}} News article from the BBC remarking on the custom, on the occasion of Tony Banks taking the title Baron Stratford instead of the more conventional Baron Banks</ref> [[Ian Paisley]], for example, opted for the title ''Lord Bannside'', and [[John Gummer, Baron Deben|John Gummer]] chose the title ''Lord Deben''. There are also occasions when someone's surname is not appropriate as a title, such as [[Michael Lord, Baron Framlingham|Michael Lord (now ''Lord Framlingham'')]] and [[Michael Bishop, Baron Glendonbrook|Michael Bishop (now ''Lord Glendonbrook'')]].<ref>[https://nortonview.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/my-lord-and-bishop/ The Norton View — My Lord and Bishop] (Accessed 22 May 2015)</ref>

The formal style for a life peer is as follows (John Smith and Mary Smith stand in for any name; London to any [[territorial designation]]):

* '''In the case of a life baron:''' [[The Right Honourable|The Rt Hon]] The Lord Smith (of London) (e.g. The Rt Hon [[David Owen|The Lord Owen]])<br>''or'' The Rt Hon John, Lord Smith (of London) (e.g. The Rt Hon [[David Steel|David, Lord Steel of Aikwood]])
* '''In the case of a life baroness:''' The Rt Hon The Baroness Smith (of London) (e.g. The Rt Hon [[Margaret Thatcher|The Baroness Thatcher]])<br>''or'' The Rt Hon Mary, Baroness Smith (of London) (e.g. [[Betty Boothroyd|The Rt Hon Betty, Baroness Boothroyd]]){{efn|[[His Majesty's Passport Office]] use the form of "The Baroness (of) X" for a baroness in her own right, and the form of "The Lady (of) X" for a baron's wife.<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/titles-included-in-passports/titles-accessible Titles: Guidance for His Majesty's Passport Office operational staff on how to add and record titles and observations on a passport] - official website of the [[Government of the United Kingdom]]</ref>}}

Life peers are often mistakenly called 'Lord' or 'Lady' before their names (e.g. "[[Andrew Lloyd Webber|Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber]]") following their [[ennoblement]], but this is incorrect since the correct form should be one of those shown above.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burke's Peerage |url=https://burkespeerage.com/ |access-date= |website=burkespeerage.com |language=en}}</ref> Only the daughters of earls, marquesses and dukes (and women members of the Orders of the Garter and the Thistle), and the younger sons of marquesses and dukes are properly referred to by the [[courtesy title]] of Lord or Lady Firstname Lastname (e.g. "[[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Louis Mountbatten]]", who was referred to as such as the younger son of [[Prince Louis of Battenberg|the Marquess of Milford Haven]] before his enoblement as the Viscount (later Earl) Mountbatten of Burma).

A different form of modern life peerage was instituted when [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Edward]] was made [[Duke of Edinburgh]] for life in 2023, with the title to revert to the Crown on the prince's death. This ennoblement differs from other life peerages in that it was not made under the 1958 Act, does not give the prince the right to sit in the House of Lords, and gives him a more elevated rank than baron.<ref>{{cite news |title=Britain needs more hereditary dukes – the rank is becoming endangered |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/03/10/britain-needs-hereditary-dukes-rank-becoming-endangered/ |work=Daily Telegraph |date=10 March 2023 |last=Howse |first=Christopher |quote="Whatever happens, it is to be hoped that the next holder possesses the dukedom as a hereditary peerage. There had been peers for life before workaday life peers were invented in 1958. As recently as 1377, Guichard d’Angle was created Earl of Huntingdon for life by Richard II, and none of those Law Lords between 1876 and 2009 could pass down their peerages."}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Peerages in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Peerage of the United Kingdom]]
*[[List of life peerages]]:  [[List of life peerages (1958–1979)|1958–1979]], [[List of life peerages (1979–1997)|1979–1997]], [[List of life peerages (1997–2010)|1997–2010]], [[List of life peerages (2010–2024)|2010–2024]], [[List of life peerages (2024–present) |2024–present]]
*[[List of law life peerages]]
*[[Roll of the Peerage]]
*[[Cash for Honours]]
*[[Crossbencher#United Kingdom|Crossbencher]]
*[[List of related life peers]]
*{{Section link|Duke of Edinburgh|2023 creation}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{citation |url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/lifepeers.html |last=Boothroyd |first=D. |year=2004 |title=Life Peerages created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 |access-date=22 April 2004 |archive-date=16 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416181241/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/lifepeers.html |url-status=dead }}
*{{citation |url=http://www.geocities.com/noelcox/Peerage_Law.htm |last=Cox |first=N |year=1997 |title=The British Peerage: The Legal Standing of the Peerage and Baronetage in the overseas realms of the Crown with particular reference to New Zealand |journal=New Zealand Universities Law Review |volume=17 |number=4 |pages=379–401 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022030056/http://geocities.com/noelcox/Peerage_Law.htm |archive-date=22 October 2009 |df=dmy }}
*{{citation |url=http://home.freeuk.com/don-aitken/emayvols.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040303122124/http://home.freeuk.com/don-aitken/emayvols.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 March 2004 |last=Farnborough |first= T. E. May, 1st Baron |year=1896 |title=Constitutional History of England since the Accession of George the Third |edition=11th |location=London |publisher=Longmans, Green and Co}}
*{{citation |url=http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/peer58.htm |title=Life Peerages Act 1958. (6 & 7 Elizabeth 2 c. 21) |date=November 2017 |location=London |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office}}
*{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Lords of Appeal in Ordinary |volume=17 |mode=cs2}}
*{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Peerage |volume=21 |pages=45–55 |mode=cs2}}
*{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Parliament#Life Peerages |display=Parliament: Life Peerages |volume=20 |mode=cs2}}
{{British nobility}}{{British Honours System}}
{{Former Australian Honours}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}

[[Category:Life peers| ]]
[[Category:Peerages in the United Kingdom]]