Veritable orgy of life peerages announced today

[JL]

No news on the gazetting of the Grainger peerage, but I notice the Downing Street website lists a raft of life peers, very few of whom were MPs (John Redwood and Sarah Teather notwithstanding).  The Liberal Democrats have nominated the hereditary peers Lords Addington and Russell and the Earl of Kinnoull has been nominated for a life peerage - one assumes as a harbinger for the removal of the remaining hereditary peers/  The superb historian Simon Heffer is also ennobled; I can't say any of the others seem to be household names..

The final tally is 25 Labour, 5 Liberal Democrat, 3 Conservative and 1 crossbench; still nothing for Reform.

Political Peerages December 2025 - GOV.UK.

[Peter FitzGerald]

Odd that Lord Addington is described as "Dominic Hubbard (Lord Addington)" (using both his surname and his title), whereas Lord Kinnoull is described as "Charles Kinnoull (The Earl of Kinnoull)" (as if his title were also his surname - his actual surname is Hay).

[sven_me...@web.de]

Disgusting that there are these exceptions like in 1999.

[992234177]

Sharon Davies is an interest choice 

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Any idea why those 3 specific hereditary peers were chosen, instead of others?

Brooke

[Jonathan]

On Wednesday, 10 December 2025 at 23:02:43 UTC ... wrote:

Any idea why those 3 specific hereditary peers were chosen, instead of others?

Two are both Liberal Democrats. The BBC article on the announcement implies that the Lib Dems specifically have decided to nominate their hereditaries in order to keep them in the Lords (they currently have four in total; I haven't looked up who the others are, but these two must be the most active).

Lord Kinnoull has been chosen as he is a deputy speaker.

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Thanks, Jonathan

Brooke

[colinp]

A few DOB's (other than the hereditaries)-

Nominations from the Leader of the Labour Party:

1. Andy (Andrew) Dudley Roe KSFM – b 1 July 1974
2. Dame Ann Geraldine Limb DBE DL – b 13 Feb 1953 cp
3. Brenda Vanessa Dacres OBE - b 10 Nov 1966
4. Carol Laurette Linforth OBE -
5. Catherine MacLeod -
6. David Isaac CBE – b 31 Mar 1958
7. David James Pitt-Watson – b 23 Sep 1956
8. Farmida Bi CBE – b 2 Sep 1967
9. Professor Geeta Nargund – b 23 Oct 1959
10. Katie Martin –
11. Joseph [Joe] Paul Docherty – b 7 Sep 1969
12. Len (Leonard) Lloyd Duvall OBE – b 26 Sep 1961
13. Matthew Leo Doyle – b 21 Jun 1975
14. Sir Michael Bayldon Barber – b 24 Nov 1955
15. Neena Gill CBE – b 24 Dec 1956 div
16. Nick (Nicholas) Ian Forbes CBE – b 8 Nov 1973
17. Peter Bonyiah Babudu – b 17 Jun 1983
18. Peter John OBE – b 26 Oct 1966
19. Richard Malcolm Walker OBE – b 5 Aug 1980
20. Russell Keith Hobby CBE – 22 Jan 1972
21. Cllr. Dr Sara Kathryn Sabiers Hyde – b 20 Jun 1979
22. Cllr. Shama Tatler – b Sep 1982
23. Dr Sophy Antrobus MBE -
24. Tracey Paul -
25. Uday Kumar Nagaraju – b 1 Aug 1979

Nominations from the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party:

1. Mike Dixon –
2. Dominic Hubbard (Lord Addington) – [see DPB}
3. Rhiannon Leaman –
4. John Russell (Earl Russell) – [see DPB]
5. Sarah Louise Teather – b 1 Jun 1974

Nominations from the Leader of the Conservatives:

1. Sharron Elizabeth Davies MBE – b 1 Nov 1962 sep
2. Simon James Heffer – b 18 Jul 1960 m
3. The Rt Hon Sir John Alan Redwood – b 15 Jun 1951 div

Nominations for Crossbench Peerages:

1. Charles Kinnoull (The Earl of Kinnoull) DL - [see DPB]

[David Beamish]

The first two of the 34 took their seats in the House of Lords on 8 January. Details are as follows:

Peter Charles John, OBE: Baron John of Southwark, of Pattiswick in the County of Essex. Letters Patent dated in the forenoon of January 7.
Brenda Vanessa Dacres, OBE: Baroness Dacres of Lewisham, of Deptford in the London Borough of Lewisham. Letters Patent dated in the afternoon of 7 January.

The House of Lords website lists two more titles created on 8 January, Lord Doyle and Lord Duvall, both to be introduced on 12 January.

A further 20 have dates shown on the House of Lords order paper for their introductions (up to 2 February). The remaining 10 include the three who are already elected hereditary peers.

There is still no sign of the peerage for Katherine Grainger, announced on 17 June 2025.

[Patricia Light]

All these people getting peerages for what. Perhaps all of us will be next!!!

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[John B-H]

In 1999 and 2000, some hereditary peers were created life peers. After receiving a life peerage, they only took the oath without being introduced.

The late Marquess of Lothian and the present Viscount Hailsham were introduced after being created life peers in 2010 and 2015 respectively, but they had not been members of the House of Lords ever before.

I presume that the Earl of Kinnoull, the Earl Russell and the Lord Addington will not be introduced and they will just take the oath after being created life peers as they are already members of the House. What do Sir David and others think?

[colinp]

The first two of this batch of life peers took their seats in the Lords yesterday.  House of Lords Minutes of proceedings 8 Jan 2026-

Lord John of Southwark Peter Charles John, OBE, having been created Baron John of Southwark, of Pattiswick in the County of Essex, for life by Letters Patent dated in the forenoon of January 7, was introduced between Lord Kennedy of Southwark and Baroness Smith of Basildon, took and subscribed the oath and signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct.

Baroness Dacres of Lewisham Brenda Vanessa Dacres, OBE, having been created Baroness Dacres of Lewisham, of Deptford in the London Borough of Lewisham, for life by Letters Patent dated in the afternoon of 7 January, was introduced between Lord Kennedy of Southwark and Baroness Kennedy of Cradley, took and subscribed the oath and signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct.

[Jonathan]

There has never been, according to Leigh Rayment's page at least, a Baron Dacres before, only various Barons Dacre. What therefore is the reason for Baroness Dacres of Lewisham having a place name as part of her title?

[colinp]

Apologies David, I didn't see your earlier post though I should have done

[colinp]

She is "Baroness Katherine Grainger" according to her website......

Profile - Baroness Katherine Grainger

[S. S.]

Jonathan, reason probably is that it sounds too close to "Dacre". Perhaps she also just wanted a designation as part of the title. 

S.S.

[Jonathan]

On Friday, 9 January 2026 at 13:08:15 UTC S. S. wrote:

Jonathan, reason probably is that it sounds too close to "Dacre". Perhaps she also just wanted a designation as part of the title. 

 You could be right about it sounding too similar to existing titles. I would have thought the latter was the case until last year, when someone posted an interesting article about titles which claimed that designations as part of the title where the surname had not previously appeared have not been allowed for some time.

[Jonathan]

This is the source for that rule about titles, and the rule has been in place since 1912!

https://historyofparliament.com/2024/11/19/peers-titles-in-the-twentieth-century/

The original discussion was here:

https://groups.google.com/g/peerage-news/c/-i_3c4oEuUg/m/zQg3ipGEBgAJ

[bx...@yahoo.com]

4 more life peers have been added, according to Parliament's own website.  Two were added on January 8th and two were added today, January 9th.

Added on January 8th:

Lord Doyle-- Matthew Leo DOYLE and

Lord Duvall-- Leonard Lloyd DUVALL

Added on January 9th:

Baroness Shah-- Shama Shilesh TATLER and

Lord Forbes of Newcastle-- Nicholas Iain FORBES

https://members.parliament.uk/members/lords?showadvanced=true&membershipstatus=3

Brooke