The King of England has been graciously pleased to signify His intention of conferring Peerages of the United Kingdom for Life for 2024.
London (Special to ZennieReport.com) – In “Dissolution Peerages 2024”, a “Peerage” is defined as “New life members of the House of Lords – known as life peers or Lords Temporal for life”, and are appointed by the King of England on the advice of the UK Prime Minister.
Life Peerages According To The Commons Library
According to the Commons Library:
Life peers are statutory appointments under section 1 of the Life Peerages Act 1958. This act provides that the Monarch can by Letters Patent (a legal document) “confer on any person a peerage for life”. This entitles them to “receive writs of summons to attend the House of Lords” where, until they die or resign, they can sit and vote. Long-standing custom is that the Prime Minister advises the King on peerage appointments, although this is not specified in the act.
Source: The Commons Library
The House Of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of The United Kingdom, whereas the “House of Commons” is the lower house. The difference is that in the upper house, members are appointed, whereas in the House of Commons, they are commonly elected. Both the House of Commons and the House Of Lords meet at the Palace of Westminister in London. As a note, peerages do not come with a salary, but do have allowances and payments for travel on the business of fulfilling their parliamentary duties. The exceptions are:
- The Lord Speaker, the Chairman of Committees, and the Principal Deputy Chairman – paid from the House of Lords budget.
- Government ministers – paid by the relevant government departments.
The House of Lords dates back to the 11th Century and the bicameral, or “two party” division legislature. The U.S. Congress is another example of a bicameral system. But the main point here is that the granting of a peerage allows the recipient to have an appointed seat in the upper house of the Parliament of The United Kingdom, for life.
As the upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords has many similar functions to the House of Commons in operation. The House of Lords evaluates proposed and existing legislation, serves as a check on The UK Government, and considers and reports upon public policy. Someone who receives a peerage may also seek to introduce laws or propose changes to a bill, an action called an amendment.
While The House of Lords is unable to prevent bills passing into law, except in certain limited circumstances, it may delay the enactment of bills for up to one year. In this capacity, as a body independent from the pressures of the political process, the House of Lords is said to act as a “revising chamber” focusing on legislative detail, while occasionally asking the House of Commons to reconsider its plans.
So, the granting of a peerage represents the giving of an extraordinary legislative power by the King of England at the request of the UK Prime Minister. Since Rishi Sunak was the UK Prime Minister until this day, that advising of who gets a peerage was one of his last official acts. It’s more powerful than the granting of a pardon done by Presidents of The United States.
The List Of Dissolution Peerages For 2024
And so we repeat: The King has been graciously pleased to signify His intention of conferring Peerages of the United Kingdom for Life upon the undermentioned:
Nominations from the Leader of the Conservative Party
- The Rt Hon Sir Graham Brady PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Altrincham and Sale West, and Chairman of the 1922 Committee.
- The Rt Hon Chris Grayling PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Epsom and Ewell, and former Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Leader of the House of Commons.
- The Rt Hon Dame Eleanor Laing DBE PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Epping Forest, lately Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.
- Craig Mackinley JP – Lately Member of Parliament for South Thanet.
- The Rt Hon Theresa May PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, former Prime Minister and Home Secretary.
- The Rt Hon Sir Alok Sharma KCMG PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Reading West and former Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Secretary of State for International Development and President for COP26.
- Liam Booth-Smith – Lately No10 Downing Street Chief of Staff.
Nominations from the Leader of the Labour Party
- The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett GBE PC – Former Foreign Secretary and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
- John Cryer – Lately Member of Parliament for Leyton and Wanstead.
- The Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and formerly Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
- The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge DBE PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Barking and former Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
- The Rt Hon Kevan Jones PC – Lately Member of Parliament for North Durham and former Minister for Veterans at the Ministry of Defence.
- Barbara Keeley – Lately Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles South and formerly Shadow Minister for Music and Tourism.
- The Rt Hon John Spellar PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Warley and formerly Comptroller of the Household in the Whips’ Office.
- The Rt Hon Dame Rosie Winterton DBE PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central and former Deputy Speakers in the House of Commons.
Nominations from the Liberal Democrat Party
- Caroline Pidgeon MBE – Lately Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the London Assembly.
Nominations from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
- Thomas Elliott MLA – Member of the Legislative Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone and former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.
Nominations for Crossbench Peerages
- Minette Batters – Former President of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales.
- Dr Hilary Cass OBE FRCN FRCGP – Former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
All individuals nominated for peerages have gone through vetting checks, and the Chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission has confirmed to the Prime Minister that all individuals are supported by the Commission.