Hereditary peers' last hurrah as 700-year-old system abolished

Hereditary peers in the House of Lords have left their red leather benches for the final time. The majority of such peers, who inherit their titles through their families, lost the right to sit in the Lords in 1999, but 92 remained after a compromise deal with the Conservatives. Now the bell has tolled for those doomed hereditaries too, with a law to remove their seats taking effect as the current session of Parliament ended earlier. Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, the Lord Speaker, thanked them for their service, in a speech marking the end of nearly a thousand years of British parliamentary history. Speaking at a farewell reception, Lord Forsyth said: "For close to a thousand years, hereditary peers and their families have helped to shape our institutions, defend our country, preserve our culture and strengthen that spirit of public service without which no nation can flourish. "Hereditary peers have brought distinctive qualities to this House - an ethos of service, a long view and, not least, independence of mind. "They have often shown a willingness to speak plainly, to resist passing fashions, and to act according to conscience rather than convenience." A law removing the right of t