WORCESTERSHIRE'S Countess of Mar could keep her seat in the House of Lords after the Government was warned plans to scrap hereditary Peers face defeat.
Ministers unveiled plans to remove the Countess, along with the other 91 Peers allowed to sit in the Upper Chamber by birthright, earlier this year.
A Bill to reform the House of Lords was set to be included in today's Queen's Speech.
But the legislation offers only limited changes - based around the hereditary Peers and the creation of a fully-appointed chamber - and the Liberal Democrats have warned Tony Blair he can not rely on their support.
Without Lib Dem backing he would have little chance of getting the Bill through the Lords, as the Tories are fiercely opposed to the plan.
The Bill, which comes four years on from the removal of the bulk of hereditary peers in 1999, could also be blocked in the Commons.
Both opposition parties could combine with Labour rebels in the House of Commons to demand a democratically-elected Upper House.
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