THIS week I’ve been happily reminded that the UK’s democracy is alive and well in the next generation - but we must preserve that light by reforming the undemocratic corners of our society.

I recently welcomed pupils from Trinity School to the Education Centre in Parliament. The centre ensures pupils from all over the UK can experience parliamentary democracy, and learn about its history and principles.

As well as myself, another current serving member of Parliament is an ex-Trinity pupil, so it was a genuine pleasure to meet the current A-level students of our former school.

Last week, I also had the pleasure of being grilled by the even younger pupils of Cumwhinton Primary School’s newly-elected school council. 

I fielded questions on the life of an MP, the qualities needed for public office, but also about the breed, age, and name of my dog, who captivated their fertile imaginations as soon as he was mentioned. 

We ended the session with a ceremony - I handed out special school council badges to each pupil, which they affixed to their regular uniform with pride. 

The enthusiasm of the Trinity School students, and the pride of the Cumwhinton Primary pupils, left me optimistic for the future of democracy. 

However, there are corners of our society where the undemocratic ideals of privilege and inherited power still thrive.

The House of Lords is one such place. 

There are three main ways to become a lord: through appointment by the King (via the Prime Minister); by holding certain jobs, such as the archbishops of Canterbury or York; or by inheriting the title.

The ability of aristocratic families to pass down a seat in the Houses of Parliament as a birth right, not as an expression of a constituency’s political will, has no place in the modern United Kingdom.

The Labour Government has introduced a bill to remove the 92 hereditary peers in the House of Lords. This is a profoundly democratic reform.

No matter the great deeds of his great-great-great-grandfather, the current Duke of Wellington should not have the right to influence the laws which govern our lives.