– in the House of Lords at 4:08 pm on 20 May 2026.
Lord Kakkar
Chair, Conduct Committee, Chair, Conduct Committee
My Lords, Lord Stone of Blackheath, the subject of this report, resigned from your Lordships’ House in December last year. Soon after, the commissioner launched an investigation into three complaints, two made by visitors and a third by a member of staff in the Parliamentary Digital Service. The commissioner upheld all three complaints, finding that, in each case, Lord Stone’s behaviour constituted harassment. The commissioner also found that Lord Stone’s actions towards two of the complainants, who were visiting the estate as his guests, constituted sexual misconduct.
This is the fourth report in which Lord Stone has been found to have engaged in bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct towards staff or visitors. Following the third report on his conduct, agreed by your Lordships’ House in December 2024, he was suspended from the House for six months. In this latest report, the commissioner, in considering an appropriate sanction, took account not only of the gravity of the latest breaches but the fact that Lord Stone is a repeat offender who has been unable or unwilling to take steps to improve his conduct.
Had Lord Stone not already resigned from the House, the commissioner would have recommended his expulsion, but, given that expulsion was unavailable, the commissioner instead recommended that Lord Stone be permanently excluded from the House of Lords estate. The Conduct Committee agreed with the commissioner that Lord Stone’s presence on the estate, either as a passholder or as a guest, would present a clear and intolerable risk to other members of the parliamentary community. I therefore invite your Lordships to endorse our conclusion that Lord Stone be permanently excluded from the House of Lords estate.
Finally, if this report is agreed, I shall write to the Speaker of the House of Commons to invite him to impose similar restrictions on Lord Stone’s access to the House of Commons estate. I beg to move.
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Senior Deputy Speaker, Chair, Hybrid Instruments Committee (Lords), Chair, Hybrid Instruments Committee (Lords), Chair, Liaison Committee (Lords), Chair, Liaison Committee (Lords), Chair, Procedure and Privileges Committee, Chair, Procedure and Privileges Committee, Chair, Committee of Selection (Lords), Chair, Committee of Selection (Lords), Chair, Standing Orders (Private Bills) Committee (Lords), Chair, Standing Orders (Private Bills) Committee (Lords)
My Lords, under Standing Order 68, no debate is allowed on this Motion. I must therefore now put the Question that this Motion be agreed to.
Motion agreed.
The House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.
The house of Lords is the upper chamber of the Houses of Parliament. It is filled with Lords (I.E. Lords, Dukes, Baron/esses, Earls, Marquis/esses, Viscounts, Count/esses, etc.) The Lords consider proposals from the EU or from the commons. They can then reject a bill, accept it, or make amendments. If a bill is rejected, the commons can send it back to the lords for re-discussion. The Lords cannot stop a bill for longer than one parliamentary session. If a bill is accepted, it is forwarded to the Queen, who will then sign it and make it law. If a bill is amended, the amended bill is sent back to the House of Commons for discussion.
The Lords are not elected; they are appointed. Lords can take a "whip", that is to say, they can choose a party to represent. Currently, most Peers are Conservative.
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
