Scottish Secretary David Mundell insisted last night that shamed north-east peer Lord Sewel had made a “significant” contribution to national politics – but that his decision to quit was unavoidable.
The former Aberdeen District Council leader resigned from the House of Lords yesterday amid intense pressure over allegations he snorted cocaine while cavorting with prostitutes.
The peer apologised for the “pain and embarrassment” he had caused, while new reports suggested he had claimed to have had a 20-year affair with a Labour activist in Aberdeen.
Lord Sewel’s resignation triggered fresh calls for reform of the Lords last night, amid claims the upper chamber was “rotten to the core”.
Speaking to the Press and Journal yesterday, Mr Mundell said: “I think Lord Sewel has made the right decision.
“Obviously it’s a very disappointing end to his career. He has made a significant impact in Scotland and, whatever has happened over the last few days, he has got his place in Scottish politics by the creation of the Sewel Convention.
“But his conduct is unacceptable for anyone in that position and staying on any further would have undermined not only his personal position but the authority of the House of Lords.”
The Sewel Convention, named after the former Scottish Office minister, enables motions to be moved in Holyrood to allow the Westminster parliament to legislate on a matter which normally dealt with by MSPs.
The 69-year-old former vice principal of Aberdeen wrote to the Clerk of the Parliaments yesterday to terminate his membership of the Lords.
“The question of whether my behaviour breached the Code of Conduct is important, but essentially technical,” he said.
“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. As a subordinate, second chamber the House of Lords is an effective, vital but undervalued part of our political system.
“I hope my decision will limit and help repair the damage I have done to an institution I hold dear. Finally, I want to apologise for the pain and embarrassment I have caused.”
His resignation means he is the first peer to quit the House of Lords under a cloud since the introduction last year of new rules allowing members to resign, retire or be expelled for wrongdoing.
The Conservative government faced calls to revive plans to reform the Lords in the wake of the scandal, which is the subject of a police investigation.
However, Prime Minister David Cameron said there was “no point” reviving the debate on Lords reform after coalition proposals were killed off by Tory backbench opposition in the last parliament.
Instead, he appeared to confirm he will use the upcoming dissolution honours to appoint new Conservative peers in an attempt to redress the balance which sees 226 Tories heavily outnumbered in the Second Chamber, saying he wanted to “make sure the House of Lords more accurately reflects the situation in the House of Commons”.
A Bill providing for a mainly elected upper house was ditched by Mr Cameron in 2012 after a rebellion of 91 Tories in a decision which saw Lib Dems withdraw their support for his plan to reduce the size of the Commons.
In a letter to other party leaders, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron called on them to support a backbench bill which would create a constitutional convention to consider a Lords overhaul alongside other hot political topics such as “English votes for English laws” and the relationship between Westminster and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“This is not just about one bad apple, it’s about a system which is rotten to the core and allows unelected, unaccountable people to think they are above the law,” said Mr Farron.
“It is yet another sorry reflection of an undemocratic system and more than ever highlights the Liberal Democrat case for reform. Even the best politicians must be accountable to the public and the current system of lifetime appointments means that doesn’t happen.”
SNP MP Pete Wishart called for the abolition of the House of Lords, to be replaced by “a fit-for-purpose 21st century democratic House free of 17th century forelock-tugging and deference”.
Mr Wishart also accused the prime minister of being “hell-bent on increasing this bizarre bloated institution even further, stuffing it even more full of Tory placemen and donors”.
