No more Lords in Holyrood. Scotland has approved regulations that stop members of the House of Lords from sitting as MSPs, part of a wider clean‑up of “double‑jobbing” ahead of the next Holyrood vote. Ministers say the move keeps Holyrood fully elected and answerable to voters, not appointees. Scottish Government papers confirm the policy follows this year’s consultation on ending dual mandates.

The change is made under section 4 of the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Act 2025 and works by amending the Scotland Act 1998 so that being a peer is a disqualification from the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee backed the draft regulations on 2 October, clearing the way for final approval.

Practically, the new bar will bite at the next Holyrood election, due in spring 2026 unless the date is shifted within the usual one‑month window. Parties selecting candidates now have to assume peers can’t run for Holyrood.

There’s a short cooling‑off window for anyone switching roles. If a peer wins a Holyrood seat, they have 14 days from being returned to decide. If an MSP is elevated to the Lords, they have 14 days from taking the Lords oath to choose. The Scottish Parliament’s official record sets out those timelines and the reasoning that the Lords is unelected.

Why this matters beyond the Border is clear enough. The North has watched Scotland press on with clearer rules for devolved politics while England’s arrangements remain patchy. It’s routine here for regional leaders to sit in the Lords: Tees Valley’s Ben Houchen, made a life peer in 2023, serves as both mayor and peer. Scotland has drawn a line; England hasn’t.

This Lords rule lands alongside two related measures from the same Act. Separate regulations disqualify MPs who don’t resolve a clash within 49 days, and create new limits for MSPs who also serve as councillors (with an exception to let councillors finish terms close to local elections). Equality impact papers published by the Scottish Government set out those details.

Politically, the direction of travel has been cross‑party for months. The Act enabling these regulations gained Royal Assent in January and its disqualification powers commenced on 14 April 2025, with committee sign‑off for the draft instruments given unanimously in early October. That sequence underlines broad agreement that Holyrood should be a single, full‑time mandate.

For Northern readers, the takeaway is straightforward. Scotland is tightening accountability in devolved government while Westminster still leans on an unelected second chamber. If the North is serious about deeper devolution, this is the kind of line‑drawing-one job at a time-that will come onto our patch too.

The practical message for parties and campaigners from Cumbria to Tyneside is to plan on clean mandates. If you hold a peerage, Holyrood is off the table from the next election. If you aim for Holyrood, you won’t be keeping a seat in the Lords. The rules are now written down-in legislation.gov.uk and in the Parliament’s own record-and the timetable to 2026 has started.