Disgraced Sewel quits House of Lords after 'cocaine and prostitutes' scandal
Lord John Sewel has quit the British House of Lords and apologised for his behaviour after footage emerged of him allegedly taking cocaine with two prostitutes.
The former Labour minister has bowed to intense pressure to resign from Parliament following the drugs and sex scandal, exposed in the Sun newspaper.
The Sun on Sunday: Deputy speaker of the Lords John Sewel caught taking coke with £200-a-night hookers pic.twitter.com/tzQBjUxJ5D
— Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) July 26, 2015
The married former peer has apologised for the "pain and embarrassment" he has caused.
In a statement to parliamentary officials, he said: "I have today written to the Clerk of the Parliaments terminating my membership of the House of Lords.
"The question of whether my behaviour breached the code of conduct is important, but essentially technical.
"The bigger questions are whether my behaviour is compatible with membership of the House of Lords and whether my continued membership would damage and undermine public confidence in the House of Lords.
"I believe the answer to both these questions means that I can best serve the House by leaving it.
"As a subordinate, second chamber, the House of Lords is an effective, vital but undervalued part of our political system. I hope my decision will limit and help repair the damage I have done to an institution I hold dear.
"Finally, I want to apologise for the pain and embarrassment I have caused."
Lord Sewel, 69, faced widespread calls to step down from Parliament after the newspaper ran lurid claims about his alleged tryst with prostitutes.
The Sun newspaper today alleges that the peer boasted to prostitutes about sleeping with a BBC presenter.
It comes after he was allegedly filmed snorting cocaine off a prostitute's breast with a £5 note at his flat in Dolphin Square, near the British Houses of Parliament.
He was also pictured wearing an orange bra and leather jacket as he reclined, smoking a cigarette.
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation and raided Lord Sewel's home yesterday evening, two days after the shocking allegations first surfaced.
A group of officers, including one on a bicycle, searched the flat for three hours and left carrying several bags of evidence and a battering ram.
The peer's departure comes just a day after he signalled he could try to cling on to his seat in the House of Lords.
He quit his £84,500-a-year role as deputy speaker of the Lords and chairman of the Lords Privileges and Conduct committee in the wake of the scandal.
On Monday he requested a leave of absence "until the current investigations have been completed, when in the light of their outcome I will review my long-term position" - which had left the door open for him to return to the chamber.
