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On 9 June 2023, the government announced seven new life peerages would be created as part of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours. This means that 10 new life peerages have been announced in 2023 so far, and 105 have been announced since January 2020. In the 2010s, 313 new life peerages were announced.

The seven new life peers are expected to be Conservative peers. One of those on the list, Charlotte Owen, will become the youngest person to receive a life peerage. Broken down by party since January 2020, new life peers have been spread across the groups in the House of Lords as follows:

  • 59 Conservative peers
  • 18 Labour peers
  • 16 Crossbench peers
  • 12 representing other groups (for example, DUP, non-affiliated, etc)

Detailed statistics on life peerage announcements since 1958 (including breakdowns by prime minister in office at the time of their announcement and by party) can be found on the House of Lords Library’s peerage creations data dashboard. The full list of life peers created since 1958 can also be accessed via this site.

1. How does the list compare to previous resignation lists?

The Life Peerages Act 1958 allowed the creation of life peers with a right to sit in the House of Lords. Since then, eight prime ministers have published official resignation honours lists including new life peers (Harold Wilson published two lists, one in 1970 and one in 1976).

The chart below shows how Boris Johnson’s list of life peerages compares to the lists of these previous prime ministers:

Figure 1. Number of life peerages in resignation honours lists since 1958

Figure 1. Number of life peerages in resignation honours lists since 1958

Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list contained the fewest new life peers since Margaret Thatcher’s list in December 1990 (also seven life peers). Theresa May’s list was the largest, containing 19 new life peers.

Further details can be found in the House of Lords Library briefing on resignation lists.

2. What is the process for creating and approving life peerages?

Although seven new life peerages were announced via Boris Johnson’s resignation list, it has been reported that eight additional names were initially on the list but were not approved for the final version. HOLAC published a statement on 12 June 2023 confirming that:

HOLAC considered the nominations proposed by the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP in line with its usual processes. All nominations made by Mr Johnson were received and processed by HOLAC. Eight nominees were not supported by the commission. The commission is advisory to the prime minister and is not involved in the appointment processes after providing advice. The commission does not comment on individuals.

So, how does the process work?

The power to create new life peers to sit in the House of Lords is set out in the Life Peerages Act 1958. The act says that this power lies with the sovereign. However, in practice peerage lists are set out by the prime minister or an outgoing prime minister and the sovereign then confirms new peerages on the prime minister’s advice.

By convention, when recommending peerages for members of political parties other than their own, prime ministers take advice from the leader of that party. In practice, prime ministers will ask for that party’s nominations to a number of the prime minister’s choosing. In addition, HOLAC makes recommendations to the prime minister for non-party political (Crossbench) peers.

HOLAC also vets party nominations for propriety and advises a nominating prime minister on its findings. However, HOLAC cannot veto appointments and the prime minister would still be able to proceed with nominations despite HOLAC’s concerns. In brief, HOLAC explains:

[The commission’s] role is to advise the prime minister if it has any concerns about the propriety of a nominee. The commission takes the view that in this context, propriety means:

  • the individual should be in good standing in the community in general and with the public regulatory authorities in particular
  • the past conduct of the nominee would not reasonably be regarded as bringing the House of Lords into disrepute

[…]

Taking all the evidence into account, the commission will formally either advise the prime minister that it sees no reason why an appointment should not be made, or draw any concerns to their attention.

The commission does not have a right of veto; it is down to the prime minister to decide whether to recommend an individual to His Majesty the King. However, should a prime minister decide to recommend an appointment which the commission has been unable to support, the commission will write to the [House of Commons] Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee to ensure transparency.

Further information on this process, including details on the information HOLAC requires from parties and individuals to check propriety, is set out on HOLAC’s website.

Once the prime minister proceeds with nominations and they are announced, the peerages are conferred upon the named individuals by the sovereign via letters patent.

3. Read more

Further information and statistics on the House of Lords and on the House of Lords Appointments Commission can be found in the following Lords Library briefings:

Cover image: House of Lords 2023. Photography by Roger Harris on Flickr.