Life Peerages Act 1958

E16723

The Life Peerages Act 1958 is a UK law that modernized the House of Lords by allowing the creation of life peers, significantly reshaping its composition and role.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
United Kingdom life peerages 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom constitutional law
amends law relating to peerages
appliesTo men
women
areaOfLaw constitutional law
public law
changedCompositionOf House of Lords
citation 6 & 7 Eliz. 2. c. 21
classification House of Lords reform legislation
United Kingdom legislation
country United Kingdom
effectOnInstitution House of Lords
enablesCreationOf barons
life peers
excludes creation of hereditary peerages
governmentInPowerAtEnactment Conservative government
grantsRight to sit in the House of Lords
to vote in the House of Lords
hasEffect enabled crossbench life peers
facilitated appointment of experts and professionals to the House of Lords
increased number of active working peers
introducedBy Harold Macmillan
surface form: Harold Macmillan government
jurisdiction England and Wales
Northern Ireland
Scotland
languageOfText English
legislature British Parliament
surface form: Parliament of the United Kingdom
longTitle An Act to make provision for the creation of life peerages carrying the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords
monarchAtEnactment Elizabeth II
parliament British Parliament
surface form: Parliament of the United Kingdom
peerageRank baron
peerageTypeCreated life peerage
providesFor advice of the Prime Minister in recommending life peers
creation of life peerages by letters patent
purpose to modernise the composition of the House of Lords
to provide for the creation of life peerages carrying the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords
relatedTo Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1998
surface form: Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876

House of Lords Act 1999
Peerage Act 1963
royalAssentDate 1958-04-30
sectionCount 7
shortTitle Life Peerages Act 1958 self-link
significance allowed women to sit in the House of Lords as life peers
marked the beginning of large-scale creation of life peers in the House of Lords
reduced the dominance of hereditary peers in the House of Lords
status in force
typeOfPeerageCreated non-hereditary peerage
yearEnacted 1958

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Lord governedBy Life Peerages Act 1958
House of Lords governingDocument Life Peerages Act 1958
House of Lords Reform historicalPhase Life Peerages Act 1958
Baroness legalBasis Life Peerages Act 1958
Baron Foster of Thames Bank legislativeBasis Life Peerages Act 1958
Lords of Parliament reformAffectedBy Life Peerages Act 1958
House of Lords Act 1999 relatedTo Life Peerages Act 1958
Peerage Act 1963 relatedTo Life Peerages Act 1958
House of Lords Appointments Commission scopeOfWork Life Peerages Act 1958
this entity surface form: United Kingdom life peerages
Life Peerages Act 1958 shortTitle Life Peerages Act 1958 self-link