The Spectator Podcast

This week: Peerless – the purge of the hereditary peersFor this week’s cover, Charles Moore declares that the hereditary principle in Parliament is dead. Even though he lacks ‘a New Model Army’ to enforce the chamber’s full abolition, Keir Starmer is removing the hereditary peers. In doing so, he creates more room, reduces the Conservatives’ numerical advantage, and improves ‘the sex and ethnic balance’. But 86 hard-working and dutiful peers ‘lacking worldly ambition or partisan passions’ will be lost.Also in the magazine, Sophia Falkner, researcher at The Spectator, sets out exactly what we stand to lose by profiling some of the most capable hereditary peers in the House. She warns that Labour’s purge is ripping the heart out of the Lords. Sophia and Charles spoke to Natasha Feroze earlier this week on Spectator TV – you can also hear their discussion on the podcast. (01:10)Next: Why should the hunt for the next Archbishop of Canterbury be ‘inclusive’?That’s the question Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie asks in the