Non-affiliated members of the House of Lords arepeers who do not belong to anyparliamentary group in theHouse of Lords of the United Kingdom. They do not take apolitical party'swhip, nor affiliate to thecrossbench group, nor are theyLords Spiritual (activeChurch of England bishops). Formerly, thelaw lords were also a separate affiliation, but their successors (justices of the Supreme Court), if peers, are disqualified from sitting in the Lords until they no longer hold a judicial position.[1]
Most non-partyLords Temporal arecrossbenchers. Peers may also be required to sit as non-affiliated while they hold certain senior positions within the Lords (e.g. thesenior deputy speaker), as a means to preserve the neutrality of their official roles. Some members become non-affiliated after resigning or being expelled from a party, either through a political disagreement or after a scandal such as the2009 parliamentary expenses scandal. Others have had no party allegiance and chose this designation rather than joining the crossbench.[2]
A member who is elected asLord Speaker must withdraw from any party affiliation,[3] but is not considered to be a non-affiliated peer. Former lord speakers have sat as crossbenchers after holding office.
The UK Parliament website lists the followingnon-affiliated members of the House of Lords, including those not currently eligible to sit in the Lords:[4]
| Member | Previous affiliation | Reason for change |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Allan of Hallam | Liberal Democrat | |
| Baroness Altmann | Conservative | |
| Lord Ashton of Hyde | Conservative | |
| Lord Austin of Dudley | Labour | Joined Lords without party affiliation |
| Lord Boyd of Duncansby | none | Currently ineligible as aSenator of the College of Justice |
| Lord Brennan | Labour | |
| Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill | none | Currently ineligible asLady Chief Justice of England and Wales |
| Lord Cashman | Labour | Labour whip withdrawn following criticism ofRosie Duffield during her2024 campaign for her Parliament seat[5] |
| Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen | Conservative | |
| Lord Cooper of Windrush | Conservative | Suspended from Conservative whip after expressing support for Liberal Democrats in2019 European Parliament elections |
| Lord Darzi of Denham | Labour | Resigned from Labour whip in July 2019 in protest of the party's response to antisemitism complaints[6] |
| Lord Davies of Abersoch | Labour | |
| Lord Doyle | Labour | |
| Lord Evans of Watford | Labour | Labour whip removed upon suspension from the House in connection with lobbying scandal[7] |
| Lord Faulks | Conservative | |
| Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee | Democratic Unionist | Joined Lords without party affiliation |
| Baroness Fox of Buckley | Brexit | Joined Lords without party affiliation |
| Lord Frost | Conservative | Withdrew from Conservative whip to serve as director general ofInstitute of Economic Affairs[8] |
| Lord Gadhia | Conservative | |
| Lord Gardiner of Kimble | Conservative | Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords (2021–present) |
| Lord Grade of Yarmouth | Conservative | Chairman ofOfcom |
| Lord Harrington of Watford | Conservative | |
| Lord Hobby | Labour | Joined Lords without party affiliation |
| Baroness Hoey | Labour | Joined Lords without party affiliation |
| Baroness Lampard | Conservative | |
| Lord Livingston of Parkhead | Conservative | |
| Baroness Longfield | Labour | Withdrew from Labour whip upon appointment as chair ofIndependent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs[9] |
| Lord Lupton | Conservative | |
| Baroness McGregor-Smith | Conservative | |
| Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate | Labour | Following return from suspension from the House in connection with lobbying scandal[citation needed] |
| Baroness Mone | Conservative | |
| Lord Moore of Etchingham | none | Joined Lords without party affiliation |
| Baroness Morgan of Cotes | Conservative | |
| Baroness Moyo | Conservative | |
| Lord Northbrook | Conservative | |
| Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay | Liberal Democrat | Resigned Liberal Democrat whip in protest at party leadership[10] |
| Lord Paddick | Liberal Democrat | Withdrew from Liberal Democrat whip during his advisory role with theMetropolitan Police[11] |
| Lord Patel of Bradford | Labour | |
| Lord Pearson of Rannoch | UKIP | Resigned UKIP whip in protest of party leadership during Brexit negotiations |
| Lord Redesdale | Liberal Democrat | |
| Lord Rennard | Liberal Democrat | Suspended from whip pending inquiry into sexual harassment allegations.[12] |
| Lord Rosenfield | none | Joined Lords without party affiliation |
| Lord Strathcarron | Conservative | |
| Lord Taylor of Warwick | Conservative | Following return from suspension from the House in connection with expenses scandal and imprisonment for false accounting[citation needed] |
| Lord Truscott | Labour | Resigned Labour whip following the "cash for influence" allegations of 2009[citation needed] |
| Lord Tyrie | Conservative | Entered the House without affiliation due to his role as Chairman of theCompetition and Markets Authority |
| Baroness Uddin | Labour | Following return from suspension from the House in connection with expenses scandal[citation needed] |
| Baroness Vadera | Labour | |
| Lord Verdirame | none | Joined Lords without party affiliation |
| Baroness Warsi | Conservative | |
| Lord Wasserman | Conservative | |
| Baroness Young of Old Scone | Labour | Appointed asForestry Commission chair[13] |
There are other peers who list themselves asIndependent within the House of Lords:
| Member | Previous affiliation | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Maginnis of Drumglass | Ulster Unionist Party | Independent Ulster Unionist | Resigned from party whip following homophobic remarks[14] Currently suspended from the Lords |
| Lord Stevens of Ludgate | UKIP | Conservative Independent | Expelled from Conservative whip in 2004 for supporting UKIP,[15] sat as Conservative Independent until 2012 |
MPs and Members of the Lords do not have to belong to a political party. Instead, MPs can sit as Independents and Lords can sit as Crossbenchers or Independents.