Drug Shame Peer Steps Down From House Of Lords

Lord Sewel has stepped down from the House of Lords after being filmed allegedly taking drugs with two prostitutes but will get to retain his title.

The 69-year-old peer apologised for the "pain and embarrassment" he caused after being exposed by the Sun on Sunday for apparently snorting cocaine off a prostitute's breasts with a £5 note at his flat near the Palace of Westminster.

Footage showed Lord Sewel, who in his role as chairman of the Privileges and Standards Committee is responsible for setting behaviour standards for peers, in an orange bra and leather jacket smoking and drinking with the women.

In other scenes he attacked some of the country's most high-profile politicians, including Tony Blair and David Cameron, whom he called "facile".

In a statement announcing he was terminating his membership of the House of Lords, he effectively admitted his behaviour had breached the Code of Conduct, which he had helped to establish.

:: Sewel's Views - Peer Dishes Dirt On Politicians

However, despite this he will continue to retain his title because there is no process for the Government to remove it.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said there were no plans to review the system and the important thing was that Lord Sewel would no longer influence legislation.

The scandal has sparked questions over the legitimacy of the unelected House of Lords , which has been criticised for being out of touch and undemocratic.

Speaking on a trip to Southeast Asia, Mr Cameron said: "I regret the fact that we didn't achieve House of Lords reform in the last Parliament but it's quite clear to me there's no point in trying that route again.

"It is important the House of Lords in some way reflects the situation in the House of Commons, at the moment it is well away from that."

He added: "That's been the position of Prime Ministers for a very long time and for very good and fair reasons."

Mr Cameron has created peers at a faster rate than any other Prime Minister since life peerages began in 1958.

There are currently 783 members in the upper chamber, making it the largest legislative body outside China - and the Prime Minister has hinted he will make dozens more appointments, swelling numbers to 830.

He said he wanted to "make sure the House of Lords more accurately reflects the situation in the House of Commons". At present the 226 Conservative peers are outnumbered.

There are 650 MPs in the House of Commons.

Lord Sewel, who is married with four children, quit from his £84,500 role of Deputy Speaker of the upper chamber and chairman of the standards committee on Sunday.

However, until now the Labour life peer, who was a minister in Mr Blair's government, had resisted pressure to step down from the House of Lords permanently.

In a statement he said: "I have today written to the Clerk of the Parliaments terminating my membership of the House of Lords. The question of whether my behaviour breached the Code of Conduct is important, but essentially technical.

"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."

On Monday police with sniffer dogs searched the peer's Dolphin Square flat in central London. Investigators were seen leaving the home after approximately three hours carrying bags of evidence.

Baroness Stowell, Leader of the House of Lords, welcomed Lord Sewel's resignation.

"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," she said.