The End of an Era: Lord Cromwell Reflects on the Future of Hereditary Peers

Godfrey John Bewicke-Copley, the 7th Baron Cromwell, has seen his family’s connection to the British aristocracy stretch back to 1375, with ancestors who bravely fought during historical battles such as Agincourt. Having spent the last ten years as a member of the House of Lords, his role encompasses legislative discussion, committee participation, and friendly greetings with elected officials. His peerage, a hereditary title passed down from his father, the 6th Baron Cromwell, is soon to be a thing of the past.Despite his longstanding title, Lord Cromwell asserts that his lineage carries little weight in his responsibilities at Westminster. “We are not the port-swilling, fox-hunting hoorays on vast Downton Abbey-esque estates of popular imagination,” he explains. Instead, he shares that many hereditary peers, including himself, maintain careers and engage deeply in public life. His professional background includes banking, advising on business in Russia, and managing his family's Leicestershire farm. He is known for his active participation in debates covering various pressing global and environmental topics.However, his tenure in the House of Lords is numbered as the Labour government moves to legislate the removal of hereditary peers by mid-2025. This initiative is meant to tackle what critics describe as an outdated and undemocratic system that has become bloated and ethically compromised, despite its largely advisory role in legislative processes.Lord Cromwell acknowledges that the upcoming change fills him with a sense of loss, though he displays stoicism and wit about his removal. “I’m not related to Oliver or Thomas Cromwell,” he jokes, offering a glimpse of humor in a moment of reflection on his impending exit from an institution that has shaped his professional existence.