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- Of the 25 former prime ministers who have served since 1902, just over half (13) received a peerage entitling membership of the House of Lords after they left the House of Commons.
- Of the 13 former prime ministers to have received a peerage, seven received a hereditary earldom. Harold Macmillan, who served as prime minister between 1957 and 1963, was the last former prime minister to receive an earldom. He became the Earl of Stockton in 1984. Since 1999, a hereditary earldom has not automatically entitled the bearer to a seat in the House of Lords.
- The remaining six received life peerages under the Life Peerages Act 1958. Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who served as prime minister between 1963 and 1964, was the first former prime minister to receive a life peerage. He was created Lord Home of the Hirsel in 1974, having disclaimed a hereditary earldom previously.
- The most recent former prime minister to receive a peerage is Theresa May. Mrs May was nominated for a peerage as part of a dissolution peerages list issued on 4 July 2024.[1] She received her peerage the following month and is now known as Baroness May of Maidenhead.
- Following Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton’s appointment to the House of Lords in November 2023, Baroness May’s peerage marks the first time successive prime ministers have taken a peerage since 1992 when Baroness Thatcher followed Lord Callaghan of Cardiff in accepting a title.
- One former prime minister, Rishi Sunak, remains an MP.
Table 1. Peerages awarded to former prime ministers: 1902–2024
| Former prime minister | Period in office | Year ceased to be an MP | Year peerage created | Title (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishi Sunak | 2022–24 | — | — | — |
| Elizabeth Truss | 2022 | 2024 | — | — |
| Boris Johnson | 2019–22 | 2023 | — | — |
| Theresa May | 2016–19 | 2024 | 2024 | Baroness May of Maidenhead (L) |
| David Cameron | 2010–16 | 2016 | 2023 | Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (L) |
| Gordon Brown | 2007–10 | 2015 | — | — |
| Tony Blair | 1997–2007 | 2007 | — | — |
| John Major | 1990–97 | 2001 | — | — |
| Margaret Thatcher | 1979–90 | 1992 | 1992 | Baroness Thatcher (L) |
| James Callaghan | 1976–79 | 1987 | 1987 | Lord Callaghan of Cardiff (L) |
| Harold Wilson | 1974–76 | 1983 | 1983 | Lord Wilson of Rievaulx (L) |
| 1964–70 | ||||
| Edward Heath | 1970–74 | 2001 | — | — |
| Sir Alec Douglas-Home | 1963–64 | 1974 | 1974 | Lord Home of the Hirsel (L) |
| Harold Macmillan | 1957–63 | 1964 | 1984 | Earl of Stockton (H) |
| Sir Anthony Eden | 1955–57 | 1957 | 1961 | Earl of Avon (H) |
| Sir Winston Churchill | 1951–55 | 1964 | — | — |
| 1940–45 | ||||
| Clement Attlee | 1945–51 | 1955 | 1955 | Earl Attlee (H) |
| Neville Chamberlain | 1937–40 | 1940 (died) | — | — |
| Stanley Baldwin | 1935–37 | 1937 | 1937 | Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (H) |
| 1924–29 | ||||
| 1923–24 | ||||
| Ramsay MacDonald | 1929–35 | 1937 | — | — |
| 1924 | ||||
| Andrew Bonar Law | 1922–23 | 1923 (died) | — | — |
| David Lloyd George | 1916–22 | 1945 | 1945 | Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (H) |
| Herbert Asquith | 1908–16 | 1924 | 1925 | Earl of Oxford and Asquith (H) |
| Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 1905–08 | 1908 (died) | — | — |
| Arthur Balfour | 1902–05 | 1922 | 1922 | Earl of Balfour (H) |
Key: L = Life peerage; H = Hereditary peerage.
(David Butler and Gareth Butler, ‘British Political Facts’, 2011, p 61; David Beamish, ‘United Kingdom peerage creations 1801–2024’, accessed 28 August 2024; and UK Parliament, ‘MPs and Lords: New Members who have joined the House of Lords’, accessed 28 August 2024)
Cover image: © House of Lords 2023 / photography by Roger Harris.
This briefing was updated on 2 September 2024 following confirmation of Baroness May of Maidenhead’s peerage title.
References
- Prime Minister’s Office, ‘Dissolution peerages 2024’, 4 July 2024. Return to text