The Edition: Keir's peer purge, how to pick an archbishop & is AI ruining sport?

17 snips

Jul 10, 2025

Guest

Patrick Kidd

In this discussion, Charles Moore, a veteran journalist and former editor, highlights the controversial purging of hereditary peers in the House of Lords, sparking debates on political balance and representation. Rev. Fergus Butler-Gallie reflects on the lengthy and complex process of selecting the next Archbishop of Canterbury, emphasizing the need for spiritual depth over mere inclusivity. Patrick Kidd digs into the impact of AI on sports, particularly the removal of human line judges at Wimbledon, raising questions about the future of authenticity in athletics.

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INSIGHT

The End of Hereditary Peers in the House of Lords Is Imminent

Keir Starmer is pushing forward to remove the 86 hereditary peers from the House of Lords, effectively ending an 800-year tradition even though a full reform package for the Lords is absent.

This decision will significantly reduce the Conservative party’s numerical advantage, increasing diversity and including more Labour appointments such as former politicians and trade unionists.

However, many hereditary peers who have served quietly and diligently oppose this move, viewing it as a piecemeal attack without a broader constitutional reform.

Charles Moore points out the dilemma: if the Lords is strong, it challenges the Commons; if it’s weak, it lacks impact. The current hereditary peers, while older, contribute valuable experience and public service.

Starmer’s rapid appointments to replace departing hereditaries suggest a shift towards a more political and less diverse Lords, raising questions about the future role and composition of the upper chamber.

INSIGHT

Hereditary Peers' Unique Role

Labour's removal of hereditary peers changes the Lords' political and diversity balance significantly.
Hereditary peers have varied backgrounds unlike many life peers, adding unique depth to debates.

INSIGHT

Strength vs. Role of Lords

A strong second chamber challenges the Commons but can cause conflict.
The current Lords are weak but competent, augmented by hereditary peers' presence.

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This week: Peerless – the purge of the hereditary peers

For this week’s cover, Charles Moore declares that the hereditary principle in Parliament is dead. Even though he lacks ‘a New Model Army’ to enforce the chamber’s full abolition, Keir Starmer is removing the hereditary peers. In doing so, he creates more room, reduces the Conservatives’ numerical advantage, and improves ‘the sex and ethnic balance’. But 86 hard-working and dutiful peers ‘lacking worldly ambition or partisan passions’ will be lost.

Also in the magazine, Sophia Falkner, researcher at The Spectator, sets out exactly what we stand to lose by profiling some of the most capable hereditary peers in the House. She warns that Labour’s purge is ripping the heart out of the Lords. Sophia and Charles spoke to Natasha Feroze earlier this week on Spectator TV – you can also hear their discussion on the podcast. (01:10)

Next: Why should the hunt for the next Archbishop of Canterbury be ‘inclusive’?

That’s the question Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie asks in the magazine this week. ‘It will be a miracle,’ writes Butler-Gallie, ‘if we know the name of the new Primate of All England by the autumn.’ Justin Welby announced his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury last November; it took until May this year even to assemble the committee to discuss his potential successors.

For Butler-Gallie, the process doesn’t have to be swift – it only has to be ‘holy’. To discuss what exactly constitutes a ‘holy process’ – and what this drawn-out process says about the Church – he joined us alongside Esme Partridge, journalist and master’s student in philosophy and religion at Cambridge University. (18:57)

Finally: Does AI belong on the tennis court?

Patrick Kidd writes in the magazine about the creep of AI spoiling sport, following a high-profile incident during this week’s Wimbledon tournament in which the AI system stands accused of ‘human error’. To discuss, Kidd was joined by Dr Tom Webb, founder of the Referee and Sports Official Research Network. (34:16)

Hosted by William Moore and Gus Carter

Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Ed Harvey