... 1958, by entitling a new type of non-hereditary, non-judicial life peer to sit and vote in the Upper House, introduced a major reform in its composition. The Blair government of 1997 was elected on a platform which included reform of the House of Lords. This administration was responsible for the House of Lords Act 1999 which removed the right of all but 92 Hereditary Peers to sit and vote. Current membership of the House numbers approximately 700, composed of the Hereditary Peers, Life Peers, Lords Spiritual, and the Law Lords. The hereditaries, 92 in number, instance a democratic deficiency in that eligibility to hold a seat in the house is determined through inherited privilege. Life Peers2 are appointed under the abovementioned 1958 Act by the Crown on the advice of the Prime Minister. The award of such peerage has often been an act of political patronage. Lords Spiritual consist of 28 ...

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