 A staunch republican who deplored all forms of social privilege, including hereditary peerages, he accepted Kinnock's offer of a seat in the House of Lords with some reluctance, receiving a life peerage as Baron Dormand of Easington, "of Easington in the County of Durham" on 13 October 1987.However, once in the Lords he thrived, serving on numerous select committees, including education, trade and industry, and the liaison and procedure committees.He was also appointed as deputy chairman of the Teesside Development Corporation, whose of de-industrialised land included part of his former constituency.