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British lawmakers endorse electing House of Lords

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- The dukes, barons and other British noblemen who sit by birthright in the House of Lords may soon have to pack their powdered wigs and go, after an historic parliamentary vote Wednesday.

The House of Commons endorsed the idea of moving toward a mostly or totally elected House of Lords and ejecting about 90 members, known as hereditary peers, who sit in the upper house of Britain's Parliament by virtue of their inherited title.

While the vote was only advisory, House of Commons Leader Jack Straw said afterward that it "does mean that something will happen," according to Britain's Press Association news agency. He gave no timetable for when a change might be made.

Lawmakers considered a range of options for the House of Lords, from a chamber that is totally appointed to one that is totally elected. Only two options gained a majority -- electing all members or electing 80 percent of them and appointing the remaining 20 percent.

Prime Minister Tony Blair supported a chamber equally split between elected and appointed members, his office told the Press Association. That proposal was rejected by a large margin.

The august House of Lords -- whose members, known as peers, wear robes and wigs and where Queen Elizabeth II formally opens Parliament each year -- dates from the 14th century. It is much less powerful than the elected House of Commons, where the nation's laws are actually made and where the leader of the majority party becomes prime minister.

The House of Lords can delay legislation passed by the House of Commons but cannot block it.

Currently, the House of Lords consists of 731 members, including 614 who were appointed for life by the government, 91 hereditary peers and 26 bishops of the Church of England.

In 1999, amid concerns that letting hereditary peers sit in Parliament was undemocratic, Blair's Labor government pushed through a law removing most of them. But in a compromise, about 90 of them were allowed to stay until the government made a final decision on how to reform the House of Lords.

The series of votes held Wednesday on various options was designed to help the government come up with a plan that can win approval.

The House of Commons rejected the idea of going it alone and abolishing the House of Lords. Lawmakers also rejected a call from opposition parties to let hereditary peers keep their seats pending election of their replacements.

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