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> but the Lords is no longer a hereditary body

Wait, what? What's the alternative?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Lords says this:

> Membership is granted by appointment or by heredity or official function.

> Membership was once an entitlement of all hereditary peers, other than those in the peerage of Ireland, but under the House of Lords Act 1999, the right to membership was restricted to 92 hereditary peers.

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Before the changes resulting in 92 remaining in the House of Lords, hereditary members numbered over 1200. Once in a blue moon the Conservatives would mobilise basically all of them and destroy any opposition to a bill in progress

So, 90 of those hereditary peers are elected, just, they're elected by other hereditary peers. So, just because you're a peer does not mean you have the right to sit in the House of Lords, whereas before you could. If I recall, you didn't have to ever sit, but if you wanted to show up, you basically could come in to vote.

The other two hereditary peers are not elected. They have some ceremonial role (though they can vote) that was thought prudent to retain. I don't remember (if I ever know) what it was.

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