The House of Lords Conduct Committee has today published a report
on the conduct of , recommending he be
suspended from the House for 12 months.
The recommendation is the result of an investigation by the
independent House of Lords Commissioner for Standards, which was
launched following a complaint made on behalf of Covid-19
Bereaved Families for Justice.
The complaint related to Lord Chadlington's role in the
procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the
Covid-19 pandemic and, specifically, his role in assisting a
subsidiary of a company called SGHL (of which he was
non-executive Chairman and a shareholder) to secure PPE
contracts. It alleged that the new evidence presented to the
Covid-19 Inquiry showed that had breached the House's
prohibition on members providing “parliamentary services” in
return for payment or reward by contacting parliamentarians and
government advisers on behalf of SGHL. It also alleged that
failed to cooperate fully
with two previous investigations into similar allegations by a
former Commissioner for Standards.
Following the new investigation the Commissioner found in breach of the Code of
Conduct in the following respects:
- In facilitating an introduction between the chief executive
of SGHL and of Elstree (who was advising
the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) on PPE
procurement), breached the prohibition
on providing paid parliamentary services in paragraph 9(d) of
the Code of Conduct (references are to the 12th
edition of the Code, which was in force in 2020).
- By contacting the then Secretary of State for Health and
Social Care to obtain the personal contact details of (another adviser on PPE
procurement to DHSC), also provided a paid
parliamentary service.
- By offering advice to the chief executive of SGHL on how he
might best influence , again provided a paid
parliamentary service.
- Lord Chadlington's approach to gathering and disclosure of
evidence in the two previous investigations was sufficiently
lacking as to amount to a breach of the requirement for members
to co-operate with investigations. He therefore breached
paragraph 30 of the Code of Conduct.
- In his approach to gathering and disclosure of evidence to
the two previous investigations, did not act on his
personal honour, thereby breaching paragraph 9(b) of the Code
of Conduct.
appealed against the
Commissioner for Standards' findings and his recommended sanction
that be suspended from the
House for 12 months. The Conduct Committee rejected that appeal
and upheld the Commissioner's findings and recommended sanction.
The Conduct Committee's report will now need to be agreed by the
House before the sanction takes effect. The House is expected to
consider the report in the week of 16 March.
The full reports from the Conduct Committee and Commissioner for
Standards can be found online here.
