Two members of the House of Lords are set to be suspended over breaches of the code of conduct for potential financial gain.
In two separate investigations, Lord Dannatt and Lord Evans of Watford were both found to have broken the rules on providing parliamentary services in return for “payment or reward”.
The Lords Conduct Committee upheld the findings and recommendations of the independent Commissioner for Standards, with Lord Dannatt suspended from the Lords for four months and Lord Evans for five months.
Neither peer appealed against the commissioner’s findings or recommended sanction and both suspensions will come into force following agreement by the House of Commons.
The investigations were launched in response to comments made by both peers to undercover journalists.
Lord Dannatt was found to have showed a “clear willingness to undertake activity that would have amounted to paid parliamentary services” during his conversations, but no money was exchanged.
Evidence later emerged of three separate cases in which Lord Dannatt had provided parliamentary services in return for payment.
These involved corresponding with ministers and officials and, in two cases, attending a meeting with a minister or senior official.
It was alleged that Lord Evans offered “cash for access” during meetings with undercover journalists posing as potential clients of a company, Affinity, owned by the peer’s son.
Lord Evans held one-third of the shares in the company.
The commissioner found that Lord Evans failed to “act on his personal honour” when he told undercover journalists he would be willing to introduce them to MPs, given his financial interest as a shareholder in Affinity.
It was also found that Lord Evans had sponsored events at the House of Lords on behalf of the company and approached members of the House of Lords to speak at those events, thereby providing parliamentary services to the company in which he had a financial incentive.
The commissioner also found that Lord Evans broke House of Lords events rules as tickets for the events were advertised for sale at above cost price.
The events were used to promote and drum up business for Affinity and Lord Evans, as sponsor of the events, “failed to satisfy himself that the events complied with the House’s rules”.
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