Lord Sewel, who has resigned from the House of Lords
Lord Sewel, the peer caught in footage published by The Sun allegedly taking cocaine with two prostitutes in London, has resigned from the House of Lords.
The former Labour minister apologised for the “pain and embarrassment” caused by the drugs and sex scandal. He becomes the first peer to stand down in disgrace after new rules were introduced last year allowing resignations from Britain’s upper chamber.
The 69-year-old, who is married, had previously stepped down from his role as deputy speaker of the Lords and chairman of the Lords Privileges and Conduct Committee, for which he drew an £84,500 annual salary.
In a statement to parliamentary officials announcing his resignation, Lord Sewel said: “I hope my decision will limit and help repair the damage I have done to an institution I hold dear … I want to apologise for the pain and embarrassment I have caused.”
It came after police raided his home with a sniffer dog and battering ram and left carrying several bags of evidence as part of their investigation into “allegations of drug-related offences involving a member of the House of Lords”.
Conservative Leader in the House of Lords Baroness Stowell said: “I welcome Lord Sewel’s decision to resign permanently.
“For the House of Lords to earn the confidence of the public, all of us must respect the privileges that come with a peerage and recognise that – because we are unelected – it is especially important to meet the standards the public have a right to expect, and to act swiftly when we fail.”
The Sun newspaper has now alleged that Lord Sewel boasted to prostitutes about sleeping with a BBC presenter – something the woman involved has emphatically denied.
Sewel is said to have admitted that he committed adultery with 13 women over 17 years.
The scandal had fuelled criticisms the unelected House of Lords is out of touch and should be scrapped.
The chamber has swollen in size in recent years, and there are currently 783 members, making it the largest legislative assembly outside China.
Liberal Democrat president Baroness Brinton told BBC Two’s Victoria Derbyshire programme: “There’s a feeling of relief that he’s finally understood the damage that he’s done.
“It’s not just about the police investigation on the drugs and prostitutes, it’s also about the very sexist and racist comments he made about Asian women.
“That, with his leadership role in holding every peer to account for his conduct, meant his resignation was inevitable.”