Hereditary peers pocketed nearly £500,000 of taxpayers’ cash during Lockdown simply by logging into The House of Lords from their own living rooms.

A total of 85 dukes, earls and barons who normally sit in the chamber by birthright were able to claim £162 each for every single day they tuned in remotely from home. Between April and October they raked in a total of £484,000.

In order to discourage peers over the age of 70 from attending the Lords in person an allowance was brought in meaning they could claim £323 daily.

This in turn has triggered a huge increase in Parliamentary activity as hereditary peers are now taking part in 79 per cent of votes or “Divisions” compared with just 47 per cent previously.

Tory duo Lord Trefgarne and the Earl of Caithness pocketed an estimated £28,182 between them. They have repeatedly derailed a Labour-sponsored bill to remove all hereditary peers from the chamber.

It was recently revealed that hereditary peers had cost taxpayers in the region of £50million in allowances and expenses since 2001. In the past five years it has been estimated that they have only spoken a mere 50 times compared to 82 two times for life peers.

Surely it is now long overdue for these hereditary peers to be removed as obviously the system is not sustainable.

L M JACKSON