Oct. 21: The House of Lords on Thursday suspended three peers of South Asian-origin over their expenses claims. The suspension of Indian-born peer Lord Swraj Paul, Labour peer Baroness Paula Uddin, and crossbench peer Lord Amirali Alibhai Bhatia started from Thursday after the House of Lords on Thursday morning approved the recommendations of the privileges and conduct committee.
The House approved suspension of Baroness Uddin until the end of the parliamentary session in 2012, and told her to repay £125,349.10. Lord Bhatia has been suspended for eight months and has already repaid more than £27,000. Lord Paul was suspended for four months and has already repaid £41,982. Lord Paul, who recently resigned from the membership of the Labour Party, was not available for comment on Thursday as he is away in Mauritius.
The sanctions imposed on the three South Asian-origin peers have been described as the toughest imposed on the members for more than 300 years. In 2009, Labour peers Lord Truscott and Lord Taylor of Blackburn were suspended from the House of Lords in the aftermath of the political lobbying scandal. They were the first peers to be suspended from the Upper House since the 17th century.
Although Lord Paul along with Lord Bhatia and Baroness Uddin have not commented on perceived racial bias in action against them by the House, the Labour peer, Lord Waheed Alli, whose parents belonged to the Caribbean, raised the issue in the House on Thursday.
“Let me say from the outset, I don’t wish in any way to accuse any member of the committee or subcommittee of racism. That would be quite improper and wrong. But it cannot have escaped your attention that the only three members of the House who were referred to the committee for privileges and conduct and subsequently investigated under these procedures were all Asian,” he told the House.