Charles Peregrine Courtenay is the Earl of Devon. He owns Powderham Castle and its 3,500 acres. And like some of his ancestors before him, he helps govern Great Britain by serving in Parliament.
But soon, nobles may not automatically get seats in the House of Lords. A newly introduced bill could end a 700-year-old tradition.
Like the United States Congress, Britain’s Parliament has two chambers. They are called the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Voters directly elect members of the House of Commons. For centuries the House of Lords has comprised noblemen. Voting rights as well as titles passed down to heirs. In the 1950s, these nobles were joined by “life peers,” who were retired politicians and civic leaders.
In 1999, the British government removed parliamentary seats from most nobles. Only 92 were allowed to remain temporarily, but even those seats could no longer be passed down from one generation to the next.
Twenty-five years later, 88 seats remain for nobles like the Earl of Devon. He still had to win an election to join the House of Lords, but he was eligible for the seat because of his noble heritage.
Peers who sit in the fancy, gilded Lords chamber do not get paid a salary. But they can spend about 361 pounds ($472) per day in their role and enjoy food at Parliament’s restaurants and tearooms. Theirs is a job for life, unless one chooses to retire.
Some British favor getting rid of the House of Lords. That probably won’t happen anytime soon.
The House of Lords does participate in the process of making careful governmental decisions. “The checks and balances of the Lords—its tried and tested conventions—work,” says lawmaker Oliver Dowden, a former deputy prime minister. “We should only fix what is broken and be cautious about rushing into change.”
To become a law, every bill must pass the House of Lords. This chamber has the power to stall and change legislation approved by the House of Commons, but the House of Lords can’t block bills—including one proposing to remove the chamber altogether. The bill could become law in the coming year.
If it does, Courtenay will be the last in his family to sit in Parliament.
“We were responsible for crowning Henry VII,” he says. “So we’ve been somewhat involved in the workings of government over a long, long time.”
Why? Choosing leaders should be done with great care. Those decisions will affect future generations.
