1999 House of Lords elections
Elections of the excepted hereditary peers were held in October and November 1999, before the House of Lords Act 1999 excluded most hereditary peers from the membership of the House of Lords allowing Earl Marshal, Lord Great Chamberlain and 90 others to remain in the House.[1] Before the passing of the 1999 Act, the Lords approved a Standing Order stating that those 90 would consist of:
- 15 peers to be elected by the whole House
- 75 peers elected among and within party groupings:
- 2 to be elected by the Labour hereditary peers
- 42 to be elected by the Conservative hereditary peers
- 3 to be elected by the Liberal Democrat hereditary peers
- 28 to be elected by the Crossbench hereditary peers
The elections used a version of plurality block voting: voters were required to rank candidates in order of preference for the number of seats available, with the candidates receiving the greatest number of votes, without regard to the ranking on the ballots, declared elected. Preference order was only considered in the cases of ties.
Until November 2002, vacancies among the elected hereditary peers were filled by hereditary peers who received most votes in the corresponding 1999 election without being elected to remain. Since November 2002, by-elections have been held to fill vacancies.[2]
Election by the whole House
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| Turnout | 56.59% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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15 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the whole House in an election held from 27 to 28 October 1999. 1,115 members of the House were eligible to vote and 631 valid votes were cast. The result was as follows:[2]
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Carleton, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
Elections by groups
75 excepted hereditary peers were elected by hereditary peers of three parties and crossbenchers in elections held from 3 to 4 November 1999.[2]
Conservatives
42 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the Conservative hereditary peers. 241 peers were eligible to vote and 204 valid votes were cast. The result was as follows:[2]
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Northington, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Salterford, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Sudley, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Foxford, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Clainwilliam, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Oriel, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Gage, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Granard, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
Crossbenchers
28 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the crossbench hereditary peers. 131 peers were eligible to vote and 105 valid votes were cast. The result was as follows:[2]
- ^ a b The Earl of Carnarvon died on 11 September 2001 and was replaced by Lord Chorley.
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Hare, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ a b The Baroness Wharton died on 15 May 2000 and was replaced by Lord Cobbold.
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Carleton, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Viscount Clancarty, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Moore, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Carew, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Mountgarret, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
- ^ Eligible to stand by virtue of his junior title, Baron Kenlis, as his senior title is in the Peerage of Ireland
Liberal Democrats
3 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the Liberal Democrat hereditary peers. All 20 peers who were eligible to vote cast their votes. The result was as follows:[2]
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
 The Earl Russell
|
17 |
| The Lord Avebury
|
13 |
| The Lord Addington
|
10 |
| The Earl of Mar and Kellie[a] | 7 |
| The Earl of Carlisle | 4 |
| The Earl Grey | 3 |
| The Lord Calverley | 3 |
| The Earl of Glasgow | 2 |
| The Lord McNair | 1 |
Labour
2 excepted hereditary peers were elected by the Labour hereditary peers. 18 peers were eligible to vote and 17 valid votes were cast. The result was as follows:[2]
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| The Lord Milner of Leeds
|
8 |
| The Lord Rea
|
7 |
| The Lord Grantchester | 7 |
| The Lord Monkswell | 6 |
| The Lord Kilbracken | 3 |
| The Lord Kennet | 3 |
See also
- By-elections to the House of Lords
- List of excepted hereditary peers
- List of hereditary peers in the House of Lords by virtue of a life peerage
References
- ^ "House of Lords Act 1999: Twenty Years On". UK Parliament. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "House of Lords Act: Hereditary Peers Elections". Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.