Lord Sewel to keep title despite quitting over prostitute claims
David Cameron urged to abandon plans to appoint new set of Tory peers in wake of Sewel scandal
Lord Sewel will keep his title despite resigning from the House of Lords over claims that he snorted cocaine with prostitutes in his taxpayer-funded residence in Dolphin Square.
The disgraced peer yesterday handed in his notice and apologised for the "pain and embarrassment" he had caused.
However, the Daily Telegraph says that under current legislation he cannot be stripped of his title – Baron Sewel of Gilcomstoun in the District of the City of Aberdeen.
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The former deputy speaker of the House of Lords will no longer be able to claim allowances or influence legislation, but he can still apply for a special parliamentary pass, eat in exclusive restaurants and use the library, says the newspaper.
According to the Daily Mirror, a Lords committee will meet in September to decide whether Sewel will be denied access to the Parliamentary estate and eateries.
Labour MP John Mann says Sewel should be immediately stripped of his title and pass.
"His title was given as recognition of his esteemed position in society, but he has resigned that position and no longer warrants it. The Prime Minister should take action straight away," said Mann.
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David Cameron has also been urged to abandon plans to appoint a new set of Tory peers, with increasing pressure on the government to reform the House of Lords.
Baroness Smith of Basildon, the shadow Lords leader, said Cameron had introduced more peers than any prime minister since 1958, when life peerages were first introduced. "David Cameron should reflect before announcing yet another long list of new peers," she said.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said the "rotten to the core" institution should be replaced with an elected second chamber, while the Scottish National Party demanded the abolition of the "most absurd and ridiculous legislature anywhere in the world".
Lord Sewel resigns over drugs and prostitutes scandal
29 July
Lord Sewel, the 69-year-old peer filmed allegedly taking drugs with two sex workers, has bowed to pressure and resigned from the House of Lords.
"I want to apologise for the pain and embarrassment I have caused," he wrote in a letter to the Clerk of Parliaments released this morning.
Until today he was refusing to resign because his alleged actions – uncovered by The Sun newspaper – had not broken any Westminster rules. If he had been caught snorting cocaine off a prostitute's breasts, as photos published by The Sun suggested, then it had happened at his Dolphin Square flat, not at the Palace of Westminster.
As the BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said early this morning, there was no apology and no contrition. Sewel, married with four children, was prepared only to take a leave of absence and stand down temporarily from his job as deputy Speaker.
But as The Times reports, the crossbench peer and one-time Labour minister, has now "fallen on his sword" and quit.
"The question of whether my behaviour breached the Code of Conduct is important, but essentially technical," Sewel wrote in his letter of resignation
"The bigger questions are whether my behaviour is compatible with membership of the House of Lords and whether my continued membership would damage and undermine public confidence in the House of Lords.
"I believe the answer to both these questions means that I can best serve the House by leaving it."
His position was clearly untenable, with The Sun publishing increasingly lurid tales – dubbing him 'Lord Sewer' – and broadsheet editorials calling for his head.
"He still has a choice between being eventually forced out by peers under the House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act, or leaving now of his own accord," the Daily Telegraph said in an editorial.
"He should take the latter path and resign, in the hope of salvaging a scrap of honour from the wreck of his career in public life."
The Times editorial noted that only 12 days ago Lord Sewel wrote a blog outlining "the new mechanisms" for suspending or expelling members of the House of Lords.
"Now, having adorned front pages in a bejewelled bra and leather jacket, he may well be the first test of whether the measures he supported are robust enough. Nothing short of his expulsion from the legislature will suffice."
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police have launched a criminal investigation based on The Sun's reports. Last night, officers used a battering ram to enter and search Sewel's Dolphin Square flat.
Lord Sewel urged to quit over 'cocaine and prostitute' expose
27 July
Lord Sewel has been urged to resign from the House of Lords altogether after images of him allegedly snorting cocaine off a prostitute's breasts were exposed over the weekend.
Sewel has stepped down as the Deputy Speaker of the Lords and as Chairman of Committees following the expose in The Sun on Sunday.
As Chairman of Committees, he was on an £84,525 annual salary with responsibility for the Committee for Privileges and Conduct, which upholds standards of behaviour among peers.
Today's front cover of The Sun features a photograph of the married peer wearing a bra and woman's leather jacket in his taxpayer-funded flat in Dolphin Square, Westminster. He was caught on film allegedly snorting cocaine with two £200-a-night prostitutes as he launched a bitter tirade against several top politicians.
Sewel called David Cameron "the most facile, superficial prime minister there's ever been", and branded London mayor Boris Johnson a "public school upper class twit".
According to The Sun, he even invited the two women to have dinner with him at the Peers' Dining Room in the House of Lords ahead of another session he had arranged for September.
Lords Speaker Baroness D'Souza described his alleged behaviour as "shocking and unacceptable" and said the claims would be referred to the House of Lords commissioner for standards and the Metropolitan Police. "The House of Lords will continue to uphold standards in public life and will not tolerate departure from these standards," she said.
Labour MP John Mann said the 69-year-old was a "disgrace" and should "retire and resign immediately".
Sewel, who was a Labour peer before resigning his party membership to take up the official role in the House of Lords, is yet to resign his seat in the Chamber.
In a blog post written earlier this month, Sewel wrote: "The number of Members who break the House's rules is small. Most work hard and provide a valuable service in inviting the Government to 'think again' about big issues, scrutinising legislation and informing public policy debates. But the actions of a few damage our reputation."