He had wanted to vacate his seat in the House of Lords, revert to being known as Mr Phillips, and allow "new blood" from his party to take his seat. However, although hereditary peers may disclaim their titles under the Peerage Act 1963, life peers are unable to renounce their titles and continue to hold them for life. He introduced a Private Member's Bill permitting the resignation of life peers, but it failed. Therefore, Phillips took leave of absence from the House, meaning he was unable to attend or vote, but could return at a month's notice. There was not automatically a seat for a new Liberal Democrat peer in the House. During his first spell in the Lords, he made 1,486 contributions over the eight years.