First-born daughters should be allowed to inherit peerages from their fathers, a former Conservative minister has declared, adding she “cannot rest until this posh glass ceiling is broken”.
Harriett Baldwin, a Conservative MP, told the Commons this “small and symbolic change” was needed for the “sake of equality between men and women”.
In 2013, she said, royal assent was given to the Succession to the Crown Act which ended male primogeniture for the crown, adding “but we left undone any wider reform to primogeniture in this UK”.
The MP for West Worcestershire said the fact that 92 seats were reserved for hereditary peers in the House of Lords meant that one in eight of the seats in the Upper House “are reserved for men only”.
‘Terrible real-world consequences’
Ms Baldwin, a former City minister, said: “Can you believe that, Mr Speaker? I will repeat it as I find it so shocking.”
She added: “I hope we can all agree that in the 21st century, this embedded sex discrimination is simply not acceptable.
“Women are treated unfairly for no other reason, (than) that they are women and this is unacceptable, indefensible and has terrible real-world consequences.
“If we can’t change inequality at the top of our society, then we will never be able to change inequality for the whole of our society. Put simply, daughters should be treated the same as sons across society.”
Ms Baldwin was publishing a Hereditary Titles (Female Succession) Bill which she said affected “803 hereditary peers, including: 24 dukes, 34 marquesses, 191 earls, 115 viscounts, 426 barons and four countesses and nine baronesses in their own right.
“They could all potentially be one of the 92 hereditary peers or on the register to stand as a hereditary peer in a by-election to the House of Lords.”
She added: “I understand that the register of peers for the by-elections currently has 210 peers on it, only one of whom is female.”
Ms Baldwin’s Bill was listed for a second reading on Friday May 6, but is unlikely to become law due to a lack of parliamentary time.
