Frances D'Souza, the former lord speaker, is facing an eight-week suspension from the House of Lords after writing to the Metropolitan police commissioner in an attempt to influence a speeding investigation. The letter, sent on House of Lords headed notepaper, asked Commissioner Mark Rowley to reconsider a driving ban for exceeding a 20mph limit.
D'Souza acknowledged the matter was 'trivial' for the Met but argued that a driving ban would prevent her from attending parliament, as she lives 'deep in the countryside with no local bus services and unsuitable train schedules'. She also questioned the accuracy of the speedometer and radar, asking if a ban was a 'fair response for exceeding the speed limit while we are all still learning what a 20 mile speed actually feels like'.
The Metropolitan Police considered launching a criminal investigation into the apparent attempt to influence the commissioner but decided against it. Instead, they referred the matter to the House of Lords conduct committee, which found that D'Souza had 'taken advantage of her privileged position as a member of the house to exert improper influence upon an investigation'.
D'Souza did not dispute the case but described the recommended sanction as 'unduly severe'. She told the committee she had been advised by a fellow peer, a former Met commissioner, to write to the chief of police, and that she had previously met Rowley through the Westminster Abbey institute. She has since been charged and summoned to appear before a magistrates court for the speeding offences.
