House of Lords Reform Act 2014
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act to make provision for resignation from the House of Lords; and to make provision for the expulsion of Members of the House of Lords in specified circumstances. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2014 c. 24 |
| Introduced by | Dan Byles MP (Commons) David Steel, Lord Steel of Aikwood (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 14 May 2014 |
| Commencement |
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| Other legislation | |
| Relates to | |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 (c. 24) is an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The act was a private member's bill. It received royal assent on 14 May 2014. The Act allows members of the House of Lords to retire or resign – actions previously constitutionally impossible for life peers. It also makes provision to exclude members who commit serious criminal offences resulting in a jail sentence of at least one year, and members who fail to attend the House for a whole session, provided that the session is longer than 6 months. The Act does not have retrospective effect.
As of March 2026, 213 peers have resigned or retired, and a further 16 peers were removed under the Act's provisions regarding non-attendance. The first peer to resign was Julian Grenfell, 3rd Baron Grenfell, on 1 October 2014.
Amongst other things, this act provides for the right of peers to resign from the House of Lords, whilst keeping their title and style. Section 4(5) states that those who have resigned or been removed from the House of Lords can stand or re-stand as MPs. To date, no such person has become an MP.