Lords spiritual
The bishops in the House of Lords, who led a successful rebellion against plans for a benefits cap this week, are a remarkable survival of Lords reform.
— While most hereditary peers lost the right to sit in the Lords as part of the House of Lords Act 1999, the number of bishops remained at 26, the number fixed by the Bishopric of Manchester Act 1847.
— The archbishops of Canterbury and York, plus the bishops of Durham, London and Winchester, are automatically granted seats; the remaining 21 are drawn from the longest-serving bishops from the other 39 dioceses of the Church of England.
— Lords spiritual serve until the age of 70, after which they may be made life peers. There is no representation, however, from the Welsh and Scottish churches.
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