A parliamentary investigation into sex and drugs allegations against Lord Sewel was formally triggered yesterday.
Lords Speaker Baroness D’Souza sparked the probe by writing to Lords Commissioner for Standards, Paul Kernaghan, urging him to establish whether Lord Sewel had broken parliamentary rules.
She specifically highlighted rules in the code of conduct which require “members should observe the seven general principles of conduct identified by the Committee on Standards in Public Life” – pointing directly at rules around “integrity”.
Baroness D’Souza also sought clarity on whether Lord Sewel had broken his “personal honour”, which she said was “ultimately an expression of the sense of the House as a whole as to the standards of conduct expected of individual members”.
She added: “I would be grateful if you could treat this letter as a complaint against Lord Sewel and investigate whether he has indeed broken any of the House’s rules.
“You should be aware that I am also reporting this matter to the Metropolitan Police.”
Now the referral has been made, Mr Kernaghan will carry out an initial assessment to decide if there is a case to pursue.
The former police chief constable will investigate whether there has been a breach of Lords rules and then send the case to the Lords sub-committee on conduct.
It would decide what punishment the peer should face and, under rules that came into force on July 16, could recommend Lord Sewel is expelled from the House of Lords.
The recommendation would then go before the Lords Privileges and Conduct Committee, which Lord Sewel chaired until the scandal broke, and it would consider any appeal made by the peer.
Such a decision would need to be rubber-stamped through a formal vote in the chamber and at that point the former Scottish minister could be kicked out of parliament.