Lord Hamilton of Epsom:

Tabled by Lord Hamilton of Epsom

At end insert, “and instructs the Conduct Committee to recommend changes to the new Code of Conduct and associated documents to remove the entitlement of members of either House to bring complaints of harassment against members of the House of Lords.”

My Lords, I do not think the noble Baroness, Lady Manningham-Buller, would expect me to agree with her about the political nature of recent cases. But let us face it: they could be interpreted as political, and therefore it is very difficult to forecast that other politically motivated measures will not brought before her committee in the future. I think that even she might acknowledge that.

I can see your Lordships sitting here, thinking, “We’ve got a Conduct Committee that clears up disagreeable things—it’s never going to affect me as an individual. Let them get on with it and do the job they’ve been doing so far”. I would hesitate before I made that assumption, because there should be a note of caution.

The bar is very low to bring complaints against fellow Members, particularly in your Lordships’ House, and there are politically motivated people in this House. It is very easy to bring a complaint against somebody, because the onus is on the complainant, and the complainant’s view of whether they have been persecuted has to be taken up by the committee. When you end up in front of the Commissioner for Standards, he assumes that you are guilty, rather than innocent, because the complainant has brought the case to you. That is one of the problems that we are dealing with.

My advice to your Lordships, if this ever happens to you, is that the key thing is who you get to advise you. You have to have somebody you totally trust. I would be a little wary of hiring any old lawyer, because lawyers deal with the law of the land, and the powers of the Conduct Committee are much greater. Therefore, you want somebody who has a deep understanding of the Code of Conduct. This is one of the lessons we have learnt from people who have suffered and have had their reputation shredded by the findings of this committee in the past.

I end by paraphrasing John Donne: “Ask not for whom the bell tolls”. Your Lordships know how it ends.

Amendment to the Motion not moved.

Motion agreed.

Sitting suspended.