House of Lords peer calls for suspension of rogue elements

A senior House of Lords member in Britain demands that scandalous peers be immediately suspended from the Upper House of the UK parliament.

“It is my belief that the damage done to the reputation of the House is magnified by any delay in taking action. Delay ensures the story will run continuously in the media,” senior Labour peer Lord Soley wrote in a letter to Lord Speaker Baroness D'Souza.

The comments by the former chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party come in the wake of media reports that deputy speaker Lord Sewel used the services of female escorts after doing drugs in his flat near Westminster last month.

“I know you acted quickly in making a statement about Lord Sewel,” the senior MP wrote in the letter, adding that “but I think we need to establish a method for imposing a quick suspension of a member. This is important for the member as well as the House.”

“The damage done to the reputation of the Lords could have been less if we had been able to suspend Lord Sewel as soon as the story broke. That change can and should be made. It is what any other organization would have done.”

The disgraced 69-year-old peer, who stepped down following the release of a video by the Sun, is said to have stripped naked in front of the two prostitutes.

The former Labour minister for agriculture, environment and fisheries is pictured with a rolled-up banknote in his hand as he appears to snort a white powder.

Lord Sewel, a former senior vice principal of Aberdeen University, reportedly received £84,525 as chairman of the Lords' Privileges and Conduct Committee - the body that upholds standards of behavior among peers.

Sewel’s case has been referred to the Scotland Yard for urgent investigation.

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