The British Parliament has passed legislation to eliminate hereditary peers from the House of Lords, ending a parliamentary tradition that dates back nearly a millennium.

The new law will phase out the 92 remaining hereditary seats in the upper chamber, where lawmakers currently inherit their positions through family bloodlines. These hereditary peers represent the last vestiges of an aristocratic system that has governed parts of British politics for centuries.

All 92 of the current hereditary peers are older white men who hold their seats based on ancestry rather than election or appointment. Their removal marks the most significant reform to the House of Lords' composition in decades.

The hereditary peerage system in Parliament has its roots in medieval England, when noble families were granted seats as part of the feudal system. While the House of Lords has undergone various reforms over the centuries, hereditary peers have maintained their presence until now.

The legislation represents a move toward modernizing Britain's parliamentary system by removing positions based solely on birth rather than merit or democratic selection. The timeline for implementing the phase-out has not been specified, but the change will fundamentally alter the composition of the House of Lords for the first time in nearly 1,000 years.