Top Conservative figures, including David Cameron, Michael Heseltine, and Philip Hammond, may lose their seats in the House of Lords if proposed new attendance rules are sanctioned. At least 109 peers, including former Prime Minister Cameron, aged 59, former Deputy Prime Minister Heseltine, aged 93, and former Chancellor Hammond, aged 70, have each attended less than 20% of sitting days in the past two parliamentary sessions, as per House of Lords records. The proposed guidelines require members to attend a minimum of 20% of sitting days.
Notable individuals such as Alan Sugar, Ian Botham, and Evgeny Lebedev have also attended significantly fewer than the required threshold. Responding to these findings, veteran former minister Lord George Foulkes expressed strong support for the new proposals, emphasizing the need for active participation by peers in the legislative process.
An analysis of House of Lords attendance data revealed the attendance records of various peers, including Lord Cameron, who served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016. Lord Heseltine, a key figure in past governments, and Lord Hammond, a former Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, also had attendance rates below the proposed threshold.
The House of Lords Retirement and Participation Committee has recommended increasing the attendance threshold to 20% of sitting days over two sessions and introducing a retirement age of 80 for all members. The proposed reforms aim to enhance the effectiveness and functionality of the House of Lords by ensuring greater participation and accountability among its members. The government is set to review and respond to these recommendations later this year in line with its manifesto commitments.
