And finally…no more acting the goat

The House of Lords confirmed the practice will come to an end to save around £80,000 a year.

Laws will instead be printed on archival paper which can be preserved for up to 500 years.

Peers said that producing two copies of each Act of Parliament – one for the National Archives and another for the Parliamentary Archives – was proving “extremely expensive”.

The decision to stop using goat and calf skin was actually made in 1999 but MPs blocked the move.

A spokesman for the House of Lords said the issue was “plainly a matter” for peers, adding: “We are therefore proceeding to replace vellum with archival paper. It is expected this will save at least £80,000 a year. Archival paper has a lifespan of several hundred years. Acts are now also preserved digitally.

“Currently the oldest paper records in the Lords date back to the early 16th century, and are only a few years younger than the oldest vellum record in the Archives which is an Act of Parliament from 1497.”