When Rishi Sunak called the General Election, all bills promptly failed in their progress through parliament. This included Harriet Baldwin’s excellent Private Members’ Bill – Hereditary Titles (Female Succession) Bill. Harriet (who retained her West Worcester seat in the election) has, along with many other MPs, long been a vociferous and effective champion of Daughters’ Rights drive to abolish male primogeniture. Her PMB received cross-party support.

The campaign naturally continues and we will provide updates whenever there is progress to report. We haven’t gone away; we’re not going to go away.

In the baronetage alone, there are nearly 350 daughters (with no brothers) who are prohibited from succeeding to their family titles. Hundreds more have younger brothers, but they will be leapfrogged because they were born female. 

And many more daughters are of course, similarly discriminated against in the peerage.

Many MPs, especially the many new ones, are wholly unaware that sex discrimination in the form of this archaic practice even exists in 2025.

Without MPs’ and Government support, the law won’t change.  An email to your MP costs nothing but your time! 

Daughters’ Rights, January 2025