 He was one of the ninety hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.A runner-up in the initial election that year, he replaced Myrtle Robertson, 11th Baroness Wharton following her death on 15 October 2000.On 13 October 2014, he became only the second person to resign his membership of the House under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014, and the first elected hereditary peer to do so.