The feudal tradition of bestowing the title “Lady” on the wives of men who are appointed life peers could be ended, under reforms of the House of Lords.

In an interview with The Times, Baroness Hayman, the Lord Speaker, called for a national debate on whether titles should be restricted to the individuals honoured.

Any change to life peerages could also signal the end to automatic courtesy titles for the wives of knights of the realm. Wives of life barons, who are known as peeresses, are automatically allowed to use the courtesy title of Lady before their surname under current rules. Husbands of baronesses have no courtesy title.

Husbands of dames also have no courtesy title, while the wife of a man appointed a knight may use “Lady” before her surname. There are no courtesy titles for the partner of a peer, knight or dame in a civil partnership.

Speaking to mark next year’s 50th anniversary of the admission of women peers to the House of Lords, Lady Hayman said: “We could look at membership of the House as a personal honour, which does not affect the spouse of whatever sex. Or we could give some sort of courtesy title to the husbands of women peers but that would be looking backwards to a system of what was.”

Lady Hayman recognised that after half a century of women in the Lords, this inequality remained. She did not think that people should have titles removed but suggested that it could be time to change for the future.

She spoke out as a White Paper on Lords reform is being prepared by the Government after the cash-for-honours controversy. Gordon Brown has also been urged to remove party political patronage for peerages in a report from the Commons Public Administration Committee.

Lady Hayman’s comments are supported by Baroness d’Souza, Convenor of the Crossbenches, the non-party-affiliated peers in the Lords.

She said: “I agree we should do something with the titles. We do need a second chamber but why we have all got to be lords and ladies and why we have to ape the aristocracy, I don’t know. It cannot be beyond the wit of Parliament to come up with a name that reflects the job we do. The titles mean nothing and cause a lot of resentment. Why not abandon them altogether?”

Baroness Shephard of Northwold, the former Conservative Cabinet Minister Gillian Shephard, who is chairman of the Association of Conservative Peers, also believes that the system is an injustice.

She said: “If you were to take the titles from the wives of barons it would help but it would be very difficult. Perhaps it should either be titles for a couple or for the individual. But I don’t think we can remove titles from people who already have them.”

Since Lady Hayman was elected Lord Speaker last year, she has championed the work of the Lords nationally and overseas. However, the Upper House and its appointments have not been without controversy.

She said: “I have no evidence that people have been put off from coming here, but there are a number of Members who are concerned there is a perception of a widespread problem with the appointments process. Yet they feel they have come through a straightforward process and one that is absolutely proper.”

She suggested that this was why many peers supported the recent Reform Bill sponsored by Lord Steel of Aikwood that would put the House of Lords Appointments Commission on a statutory basis.

“There are many people who would welcome greater transparency [in the process] and a number of members do feel that in a world where perception is all, sometimes the way in which they are appointed is being put into question.”

Lady Hayman is also supportive of independently appointed crossbenchers in the Lords.

“If you are going to have a second chamber, it is important it is not a mirror image of the House of Commons. It is the independent element that makes the Lords very different and it is what the public value, which is experience beyond the party political.

“It is also particularly important for women that that route should be available because party political structures are not always the most welcoming or easiest for women to permeate. A lot of the women who make their mark in this place won’t have spent a life climbing the greasy pole of party politics.”

Lady Hayman was a Labour MP and 46 when she became a life peer in 1995. After Labour’s election victory in 1997 she held a series of ministerial jobs throughout Whitehall.

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