Lord Sewel has resigned from the House of Lords following a scandal in which he was filmed taking cocaine with prostitutes. The former deputy speaker admitted his behaviour had damaged public confidence in the Lords and said he could best serve the institution by leaving it.
The disgraced peer, 69, wrote to the Clerk of the Parliaments terminating his membership, having initially only stepped down from his roles as deputy speaker and chairman of the Lords Privileges and Conduct Committee. His resignation came after further lurid details emerged, including a boast about having sex with a BBC presenter.
Lord Sewel was secretly filmed snorting cocaine with two sex workers in his central London flat. The footage showed him using a £5 note to snort lines of the drug from a table and from the breasts of a prostitute 45 years his junior. He also drank champagne and vodka during the encounter.
Police raided his flat in Dolphin Square, Pimlico, on Monday night, seizing evidence. Lord Sewel is believed to have fled the property on Saturday and has not been seen since. His wife, Lady Jennifer, indicated he was not expected to return to their marital home in Aberdeenshire.
Baroness Stowell, Leader of the House of Lords, welcomed his resignation, saying it was necessary for the chamber to earn public confidence. Lord Hill, a former leader of the Lords, said his position had become untenable and that he had done the right thing, albeit late.
