As soon as my title was observed by people, went the argument, I would have 'red carpet' treatment - everything from private banking, flight upgrades and the best seats at restaurants and theatres to 'complimentary champagne' whenever I stayed at a hotel. The online application was simple.
I could choose a modest lordship from a range of titles that included baron, duke, earl, or viscount. All would cost the same. The sales literature promised this 'life-changing title IS legal' and could be added to my passport, a driving licence, bank account and credit cards.
I became my new, ennobled self through Elite Titles, but I soon discovered I could have become a lord from one of dozens of websites selling similar titles.
But here it gets murky. But services that seem similar can cost thousands of pounds. The certificate, if that is what it could be called, duly arrived, with a bit of red ribbon and a few stamps of gold foil. But did the paperwork mean anything at all? Apparently not. I asked Robert Smith, chairman of the Manorial Society, which auctions authentic titles, what he thought of my purchase. You can call yourself whatever you want as long as you are not defrauding people through its use.
Plain Mr Kidd said: 'Sorry, if you come to us with that sort of title there is only one place your details will be placed - and that is not in the book. You are actually tarnishing the name of an authentic title and putting it into disrepute. What of Elite Titles and Andrew Bulpin, who claimed to be my most obedient servant? The business. Bulpin, 47, says: 'We are positioned at the fun end of the market. If you want to change your title to lord, it is perfectly legal.
And if others choose to give you benefits because of the title, that is their prerogative. Lordships had been around for centuries but it wasn't until the arrival of William the Conqueror in that they became big business. William handed them out to his followers and by the time the Domesday Book was commissioned in there were at least 13, titles. All rights reserved.
The Government is not responsible for external links and Forum activity. Sign In. Become A Lord Or Lady. Traditionally, to become a lord or lady, you would have to do one of the following things: 1.
Become a member of the house of lords. Marry a person who is already a lord or lady. Purchase land off an existing lord or lady and inherit the title. What Can I Do? As Seen On:. The registers of donations do not have to show whether or not a donor is or has become a peer and political parties do not have to report this information.
However, donors have been matched to peers where it appears reasonably likely that they are the same individual. The Electoral Commission donation data does not include key information that could help to provide greater certainty about the identity of the individual. Unlike in the United States, political parties do not have to report the occupation or employer of donors. Parties have to report to the Commission the address of individual donors however this information is prohibited by law from being published.
We have not included any companies that have or may have been controlled by peers, which means the figures quoted above are likely to be lower than the actual amounts given by peers. We have excluded peers who joined the Lords before in some of our analysis because there were no public records of donations to political parties before then.
Skip to main content. Who We Are. Meet the team. Contact us Media Contact. Why Corruption Matters. Corruption Statistics. It provides: a review of the current arrangements for disclosing access and potential influence in UK politics where they fall short in achieving this objective a comparison of the UK against countries with a similar democratic tradition our proposals for change.
Annual Impact Report and Accounts Publication.
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