Two peers have been suspended from the House of Lords after a parliamentary watchdog ruled they broke lobbying rules. Lord Dannatt, a former head of the British army, and Lord Evans of Watford were filmed breaking the rules in undercover footage recorded by the Guardian.
Lord Dannatt is to be suspended for four months after offering to secure meetings with ministers for a potential commercial client. He was secretly filmed telling undercover reporters he could make introductions to ministers. The Guardian later uncovered three further cases where he provided parliamentary services for payment, including lobbying for a fertiliser factory and a US defence company.
Lord Evans, a Labour peer, is to be suspended for five months after four separate breaches of the rules. He was caught offering to introduce undercover reporters posing as property developers to fellow parliamentarians. Evans has had the Labour whip removed, while Dannatt remains a crossbench peer.
Both peers initially denied breaking the rules. In a statement, Lord Dannatt said he deeply regretted the findings and accepted the sanction, adding: 'At nearly 75 no one is too old to learn lessons.' The watchdog found he had repeatedly exploited his status as a parliamentarian to lobby the government on behalf of commercial interests over two years.
