I completely disagree with this piece. Browne went to extraordinary lengths to stop the kiss-and-tell - using his connections to try to prevent this story and breaking the law with perjury. It wasn't a question of lying only once - but repeatedly and trying to take this all the way.

It's all very well pretending this is about hoophobia as a get-out clause. It's nothing of the sort. He took his rent-boy lover to BP parties. He hardly felt the need to hide his sexuality from his colleagues.

He broke the law, and like other mortals, he needs to understand that he is not above the law just because he has been given a peerage.

And like Archer and AItken before him, he should be charged.

The rest of us would not get away with his "apology". The law should be the same regardless of your sex, sexuality, race, position or religion.

Miles, London,

The manner of Lord Browne's treatment by BP clearly indicates why he felt the need to lie. The loss of his pension fund, earned over decades, is unforgivable. After all this man has done for BP and it's shareholders, that it allows this outcome is reprehensible.
As for the Mail - that filthy rag should be shut down.
Nice work Matthew.

Peter Dunford, Bournemouth,

What a refreshingly straightforward well balanced view. I am most impressed by this piece. I particulary liked the point 'is it for you or me to point fingers and preach about honesty'. How very true. Let he who is without sin ....

A colleague gave me a great piece of advice only this week. "What seems important to you on a Monday morning will be totally unimportant by Friday.

Rosemary Craig, Belfast, Northern Ireland

John Browne has done more for Britain than all those narrowminded Mail on Sunday readers put together. He has given a lifetime of service to bp and will be remembered as he should be; the greatest British business man of his generation who, amongst many other things, has done so much to wake the business world up to the threat of climate change.
I applaud him and feel nothing but contempt for his detractors.

Adrian G, London,

The real issues around BP, and I don't know if it can be laid at Lord Browne's feet, is that under his aegis the pipelines in Alaska sprung leaks and a refinery in Texas blew up and killed people, ostensibly as a result of safety infractions.

BP's policies and actions in the world that effect huge numbers of people, and the global future, is the real story.

Tom Palfrey, Victoria, British Columbia

To all those whinging about Matthew Parris' article, please, get a grip. If you think this is perjury, then pay a visit to any criminal court in the land: what do you think happens every time an individual pleads 'not guilty', but a jury finds them 'guilty'? The answer, is that they are held to have lied under oath and as such they have committed perjury; but they are never prosecuted.

People who cry 'lies are lies' and 'perjury is perjury' etc., should get a things into perspective. Perhaps many of the people who preach about the virtues of truth may, at one time or another, have called in sick, or arrived late to work, when really, they are hung-over. People throwing 'sickies' are still paid, yet we wouldn't dream of dealing with the occasional false sick day, with a criminal prosecution for defrauding their employer. Welcome to the real world. The 'perjury' in this case is so inconsequential as to be irrelevant. Never, was so much complained of, by so many, about so little.

Jordan Howells, London, UK

People lie everyday in court it's normal practice. So many comments here of how sacrosanct the courts are. We would need a hundred maybe thousands more prisons for all those who are found to have perjured themselves in courts. Sadly for Lord Brown he does not get the treatment the average man gets from a judge who will just overlook the white lies or tricks of memory. My god is Lord Brown the modern Oscar Wilde?
I feel very sorry for him he did not deserve this it's really quite disgraceful - it is Lord Brown who should walk tall and we who should be ashamed- but worst of the worst is the Mail.

pablo, caracas, venezuela

What Lord Browne has had to endure is tragic. As Matthew Parish rightly says Lord Browne was unable to be open about his homosexuality as a young man, and, as a result, had to forego what many people see as basic to their life - the right to seek a caring, loving relationship with another person. As a result he sought momentary affection through escorts until he fell in love with someone who was not worthy of his affection.

Lord Browne is seen as having committed his life to his work and BP and his life is full of heroism.

Once the storm in a tea cup has vanished, he will remain a great man.

Therese Leignel, Woking, Surrey

(...con't) He chose not to. The opportunity cost for having done so may have been a less successful career although I tend to think the ability to increase profit tends to override social prejudices. The opportunity cost for not having done so was probably a far more stressful existence for Browne but, more importantly, the improvement his coming out would have made to how other people think and act.

Browne's difference with Damocles is that he had the power to remove the sword, or at least get out of its way. Perhaps the Dionysiusian banquet that was BP might have ended, but I think Browne would have been happier and the real tyranny of homophobia would have been lessened.

David Henderson, London, England

(...con't) Other men of John Browne's age had the courage to be truer to themselves and those around them. They often suffered very unpleasant consequences but in the process helped improve society's views. Browne's choice was not between “celibacy and a discretion bordering on deception” but between the fear of what might happen to him should he be more honest about himself and the relative certainty and comfort of maintaining more of a pretence about himself.

All over the world, men and women have been making choices very different to John Browne. People who have been more honest about themselves have in many cases suffered much more than missed promotions at work. These people's choices have directly contributed to improved conditions for those not heterosexual both here and abroad. This work continues and every time a gay man is dishonest about himself he misses an opportunity to improve the lot of others.

At any stage in John Browne's career could he have come out. (con't)

David Henderson, London, England

Matthew Paris writes, “Men like John Browne have had the misfortune to rise to power and prominence during a time of transition. Their careers straddle two eras. When he was young man, just starting, there is no way he would have made it to the top as an openly gay junior executive. The choice was between celibacy and a discretion bordering on deception.

As the years rolled on and attitudes began to shift, it was too late for him to shift with them, disavowing impressions he had allowed to arise at the start. Now he was too exposed. It would be news. It would not be news his shareholders and colleagues would have liked. He became stuck with a version of himself that he would never have chosen if he had known how times would change. And he persuaded himself that it was in the interests of his company, too – and Britain, for BP pays a bit of all our wages – not to spoil the picture the world had of him.”

This is nonsense. (continued below...)

David Henderson, London, England

Mathew Parris - uncharacteristically - has written emotively, and misses the crisp issue here. Few people these days tolerate discrimination against homosexuals (notwithstanding what their views on homosexuality may be). There's nought to do with homophobia. It is, however, a fascinating human story of schadenfreude, encompassing flawed integrity, perjury and one's misguided self-belief that one is above the law - and where sexual orientation has no relevance. Lord Browne may have matched his intellect against that of the judge in concocting some elements of the story, but his integrity didn’t hold up. What would become of our legal system if our judges pandered to City super-size ego’s? Lord Browne has been very powerful and feted globally. But it didn’t confer on him the right to lie, however “white “ such lie. Integrity is non-negotiable, irrespective of one’s sexuality.

Liz T, London, UK

It is fantastic that you ran a competition for the youth of today to demonstrate their portrait skills, which, once judged may possibly be exhibited at Tate Modern.

My twelve year old son is asking daily, have the winners been announced. I pointed out to him he has obviously been unsuccessful this time. Tommy has a passion for art and the Tate Modern and needless to say was disappointed, but although he did not win he wanted to know who won. I've told him we will go and have a look at the exhibition and he can see for himself. We live within the commuter belt, not everyone does which means they can not actually visit the exhibition easily to satisfy their curiosity.

I would just like to say that I appreciate that you cannot contact all the unsuccessful entries however a newspaper is a form of media. Television shows run competitions they announce the winners. Newspapers are very quick to run competitions but not to celebrate and announce the winners. Why?

Zena Murray, Rochester, English

There are three points worth making here:

1. Lord Browne lied in court under oath. This is a serious matter. If one cannot trust a Lord of the realm to tell the truth under oath then he has no credibility and neither does English justice.

2. Although it is politically incorrect to say so, the majority of people are uncomfortable with the idea of homosexuality. The current official tolerance in the UK is a historical and geographical anomaly.

3. Everybody is writing as though Lord Browne is one of the greatest business leaders ever. In fact his position at BP was the subject of a boardroom struggle even before this scandal broke. Under his watch BP safety standards have plummeted as Lord Browne cut costs to the bone. The company was heavily criticised after an explosion in Texas killed fifteen BP workers.

So all in all, here is a man that cut costs to the detrement of safety, slept with a man he hired from an escort agency, and lied in court.

Difficult to have sympathy.

Simon Allen, Melbourne, Australia

In his autobiography Matthew Parris describes those undistinguished enough to be living outside the Westminster cesspit as "nobodies." Nobodies up an down the land will be delighted -as they watch their pensions disappear - to learn that Lord Browne will forfeit a pension deal worth fifteen million pounds. Fifteen million pounds is more than many nobodies could hope to see in many working lifetimes . Mr Parris may hissy fit and pooh pooh the awful venality of most of the population but let him leave his sheltered idyll, . go down the pub and ask some nobodies what they think about Lord Browne's "tragedy." Few will have anything harsh to say about his Lordship's private affairs; most will see lying on oath and the greedy acquisition of intolerably large amounts of wealth as being equally revolting and equally and regrettably commonplace among the "somebodies" so admired by Mr Parris. The Daily LittleJohn has nothing to do with this. Browne lied on oath and should gp to jail.

nigel chambers, orkney, Scotland

Perjury is perjury, lying is lying. John Browne should be applauded for his commitment to his relationship and his loyalty to his partner, absolutely, but it is still no excuse for lying. That's one of the major problems with our society today, there is no respect for the truth, and defending someone's lies in a court of law only adds to the seeming acceptability of dishonesty so prevalent in our culture.

It also reflects poorl;y on the LGBT community as a whole. Gay, lesbian and trans people face a multitude of problems in our culture, and any littlle seeming impropriety is instantly jumped on and the whole LGBT population is demonised as a result, something The Mail is very fond of doing it seems.

Lying is lying, but human beings are human beings, and whilst we should never accept the former, we should always accept the latter.

Jennifer Hynes, Plymouth, England

This story serves no solid public interest and should not have ran. Lord Browne has served this country well and there was nothing underhanded enough in here to justify the hype around this story that now exists. He deserved to be treated better. It was indeed a "white lie" about how they met, but so what? A regrettable knee-jerk reaction from someone who has spent most of his life dealing with prejudice. He can be excused for this silly error in judgement.

What person doesn't go home and tell their spouse all about it if they just had dinner with the Prime Minister? Such dinners do not require a signing of the Official Secrets Act!

This smacks of high-mindedness, jealousy and the prying natures of the journalists involved.

Lord Browne keep your chin up! There are a lot of people that have a deep respect for your accomplishments fopr UK plc, and are not as fairweather as the Daily Mail. Please carry on confidently in your pursuits.

David, Manila, Philippines

This has absolutely nothing to do with the English justice system (as if the Continental civil justice system is any better - cf David Irving), and nothing to do with the attempted Euro-lynching of Wolfowitz to get a European as head of the Bank (Wolfowitz disclosed everything and did everything the ethics cttee of the Bank told him to do - in answer to a conflict of interest, informed consent is a complete defence, and the Bank's board gave that informed consent).

Parris is right though - Browne has been treated like this purely because he is gay. The same would not have happened to a straight person. It also reinforces the Oscar Wilde lesson - gay people should avoid going to the law in respect of their private life (remember Browne went to seek an injunction) in view of the nature of the English press and the curious and insane English obsession with bottom sex.

Toby, Sydney,

It is unfortunate the Lord Browne had to resort to telling lies to the court to protect his private life who among us would not have done the same.Lord Browne has done a great deal in bringing BP to the power it is today and none of that was achieved or had anything to do with his private life. yet again the Tabloids have gone after another high profile for the sake of a few coins. the Tall poppy syndrome is alive and well as long as the tabloids are around

Andrew Downie, Teddington, Middlesex

I couldn't agree with you more. Lord Browne will finally feel free now that the burden of living a double life has lifted. He will be in peace.

YM Tan, Hong Kong,

What an admirable man Lord Browne is revealed to be; trusting , generous and protective to a fault; putting the reputation and success of his business ahead of his own; prepared to voluntarily own up to something which would pass without comment in the circles of most people who imagine themselves to be honest. Above all he is revealed to be honourable as a human being and leader- what a contrast to the lover and the journalist who claim they are one thing but do something else?

MIMac, Glasgow, Scotland

Matthew Parris' analysis misses the point. The reason Lord Browne's case failed and he was forced to resign was not because of his homosexuality. It was because he consistently lied over an extended period to the court, and also saught to "trash" the reputation of his lover. He tried to use his awards as "proof" of his honesty at the expense of his lover. All-in-al,l a thorough, proven, liar and a cad. And if he is not prosecuted for perjury, why not?

Matthew Parris would not be writing such an article if he were not gay himself.

Mike, Sydney, Australia

John Browne may be a wonderful warm human being who is both generous and caring in his personal relationships.Doubtless he is a very able business man who , whatever the financial cost to him of his early resignation, will hardly face penury in his twilight years.His sexual proclivity should be of no concern to the rest of the nation but the admission that he told an untruth in written submissions to a court of law is worthy of exposure by the press.
Jeffrey Archer committed perjury and was imprisoned.Whllst such a fate is unlikely to befall Mr Browne the principle enshrined in our laws that no person is above their application must surely provide some reassurance that at least one arm of government continues to function well.

BILL JACKSON, NOTTINGHAM, UK

I agree with Matthew Parris's article wholeheartedly. Times have changed, but not as quickly in corporate life, in relation to homosexulality. It is indeed a great sadness that John Browne has had to endure this ending to a brilliant career, and I feel truly sorry for him. But I hope there will be many like me who have the same sympathy, and that he can take some sustenance from it. The actions of the media are a reminder of the type of gutter scandal that they still peddle, and that it is duly lapped up by the public. That his ex-lover should have instigated this sorry episode has come at a high price both financially and by repute. I wish Browne peace of mind, once he has come to terms with a shame that will be more in his mind that on other peoples'.

samtam, Bangkok, Thailand

when first reading of this "scandal" i spent the article trying to see exactly what lord browne had done wrong. like you, i think that he was silly, naive and scared. difficult to believe that this should or could end a great career. he has my sympathy.

maddy , durham,

At least he can say it was fun whilst it lasted.

What has personal relationships got to do with business, but he lied and fwas found out.

It looses confidence in Lord Browne.

I think it time to come into the 21st Century about gay relationships and people being more open and No more "PC" attitudes

Peter Parkinson, Hastings, UK

I think the public has a right to know of all backdoor shenanigans among our privileged classes

jame dibiasio, hong kong,

" What this story is really about is the awkwardness of gay sex in the business world"

Sorry, Mr Parris - misdirected statement.
Should there be no awkwardness about homosexual conduct ia ANY business World?
I think you should get your priorities right first of all ...

David Michael, London, UK

Mr. Parris, you do the profession of journalism a rare credit. Lord Browne is a business legend and it is nothing short of an abomination that he should have been forced from office in such tawdry circumstances. His "lover" should look closely at his own behaviour and consider just how ethical he was. As to perjury - pure and utter piffle. The man has had his career ruined, and now various mother grundies seek to add a technical legal misdeameanour (for that is what it is). They should be ashamed. To compare him to ludicrous buffoons like Archer and Aitken is wholly inaccurate. And, lest anyone suggest that Lord Browne attracts support only from the pink wing, you should know that I am a happily married ormer officer in the Grenadier Guards. And I am proud of standards and decency. Lord Browne is deserving of good men standing tall in his defence. Mr. Parris, you have brought some pride to a generally derelict profession.

Captain K, London,

I absolutely agree.

Carlos Cardoso, funchal, Portugal

For all his seeming plausibility, Matthew Parris has entirely misrepresented this issue, along with all the gay rights organisations that have been gaily jumping on this particular bandwagon. The crux of this matter is that Lord Browne lied to the court, an offence which rightly carries a serious penalty. Why did he feel he had to lie? I would put good money on it being his shame at meeting his 'lover' through an escort agency, an act that would be judged equally were he a normal man looking for a female escort. The gay lobby would like to hijack this issue as they have hijacked so many and use it to further their social engineering, but in doing so they merely highlight that their practices are all too often not as innocent as they present them.

Tim, London, UK

He may have glossed over the financial 'errors' committed by Lord Brown but then again, the real reason for the current media-induced outburst was indeed his sexual orientation rather than the misuse of what is surely petty cash to BP.
Surely his sexual orientation was not one of the determining reasons for the alleged misuse of money - any straight man would have tried to help his partner. Therefore why is his sexual orientation being dragged into it? Why is any part of his private life other the necessary parts being dragged into it?
Embarrassment for Lord Brown, yet sheer humiliation for the English - the media mentality is somewhat outdated.

Gabriel Galea, Balzan, Malta

I totally agree with this article. The situation in the oil industry today in regards to homosexuality is very different to that in some other areas and was even more so when Lord Browne (and I) started to work in it. I remember quite consciously thinking in 1973 that I would have no career to speak of if I were to come out to the company at large and I also thought, since my homosexuality had nothing to do with my ability to do the job at hand, that there was no earthly reason for me to suffer that. It would have been totally unfair that I should be denied a successful career as a result of irrational homophobic attitudes.
Lord Brown has now paid the price of a trivial lie. This is a real shame, since he deserves to be recognized for the excellent work he did at BP. The real culprits are the gutter press, whose sheer gall and hypocrisy really know no bounds.

simon, london,

We remain in danger and inflict even more danger on future generations if we think it is alright to be something in private and someting else in public. The test of leadership is what you do when no one is watching.

Og, Manchester, UK

How about Lord Browne for Prime Minister? Just a thought ...

K John, London, UK

As always, a brilliant piece by Mathew Parris and right on the mark. Lord Brown needs the support of more people who have admired him so publicly but who now abandon him so conveniently whilst the poor man is embroiled in embarassment.

I am glad to know that his hard working caption of industry, who lived with his mum, did find love but sadly with a unscrupulous cad. One hopes that he doesn't lose heart and finds love again...on his own terms, openly yet privately.

Mary Spillane, London,

Presumably the BP board has an option not to accept his resignation. I remember back in the 50's, a very famous West End actor got caught up in some gay shenanigans which the ever-prurient press milked assiduously. I attended the opening night of his next play and it still brings tears to my eyes to recall how, when he came on stage, someone clapped and then another and then more, then someone stood and soon 99% of the audience were on their feet. It lasted only a minute or so and we all sat down and the play continued.

Nicholas Wibberley, Neuvic-Entier, France

Matthew, I think you should also have mentioned the sordid intentions of the Mail on Sunday. They should be thoroughly ashamed to scrape the barrel of their tactics in this way. It's a very sad state of affairs when a brilliant businessman is brought down by so very little and makes a rather sad statement about the depravity of various editors and their readers.

EH, London, England

Matthew, you have hit the nail squarely on the head. Browne should not have lied but knowing attitudes displayed towards gay friends in similar working environments, I can see why he did it. There is a distinct whiff of something very nasty emanating from the offices of the Mail on Sunday.

Sheila Topham, London, UK

Thank you, Mr Parris, I quite agree.

Caroline Devitt, Zaragoza, Spain

Yes, but when you tell a white lie under oath that is a different matter. No one is above the law.

Harry Baker, Farnham, England

How petty and stuffy! Lord Brown may have lied but fortunately the younger generation do not care what his sexual preference is!
And as for keeping our society in order, where? The country is a complete mess! There are far more important issues to concentrate on other than a persons sexual interest! So nineteenth century!

L A Thomas. London

L A Thomas, london,

An excellent summary of the situation. That he lied in court about the embarrassing circumstances of his meeting this person is regrettable but by forfeiting over £15 million he has paid more than was due for such a minor slip and emerged with honour.

His ex-lover however comes across as a loathsome wretch who seems to think he should get something for nothing.

Iain, London, UK

Lying in a court of law is a serious crime which cannot be so lightly dismissed.

If any of us ordinary mortals admitted to lying under oath we'd be banged up before you could say "sorry, your Honour" - and quite right too.

The thing that perturbs me is the perception of the judge, who saw in the dock not just another criminal but one of the 'great and good', and consequently decided that "no purpose would be served" by referring the case to the DPP. I would be interested to hear his explanation, but it sounds like good old-fashioned class bias to me.

Bill Linton, London,

"What this story is really about is the awkwardness of gay sex in the business world" - you mean like during a board meeting?

E.Weids, Bristol, UK

I whole heartedly agree with you Matthew! It is quite worrying that this has been the topic of headline and front page news on most of the newspapers, and in fact not the actual legalities of the case but who a man chooses to be with in life and the gender of that person, when there are so many other, arguably more important things to be reported such as calls for the Israeli president to step down or Blairs possible departure date.
I know I am saying nothing new but I wish to reiterate what your supporters have already said as I feel it is important that the message, unlikely as it is to happen, reaches nasty papers such as the Daily Mail that the public are uninterested in whether a man or woman is homosexual or otherwise. The word GAY in huge letters splashed across a paper does not enamour me or the friends I have spoken to (wouldn't want to pretend I speak for the whole of the younger generation!) to wish to read that paper.

Zarah, London,

English homosexuals are like Greek communists: they espouse certain principles in private but practise others in public. Some English homosexuals even practise heterosexual marriage and some Greek communists believe in God and are richer than their capitalist antagonists! Lord Browne, like all tragic heroes, paid the price for that little white lie, or noble lie, as the Greek philosopher Plato called it - but a lie is the denial of truth. Homosexuality and its public acceptance or rejection continue to test our understanding and compassion in Western societies but homosexuals don't help their case by demonstrating all the foibles of a resentful and fallen woman. Isn't theirs supposed to be a divinely Platonic relationship? Lord Browne was one of our finest top managers and for that, hopefully, he will be remembered rather than his choice and denial of a male partner. Et tu Brute!

Dr David Green, Athens, Greece

Matthew Parris is one of my favourite journalists and I agree with a great deal of what he says in this piece. However, I vehemently disagree with his glossing over of Lord Browne's perjury.

Mr Parris probably doesn't know enough about civil litigation procedure (why would he?) to know this, but Lord Browne's witness statement would have been drafted by his lawyers in consultation with him over a period of time. Rather than answering untruthfully "in haste", he would have had every chance to change the statement before it was served on Associated Newspapers. He would have been advised by his lawyers that submitting a false witness statement constitutes a contempt of court. In fact he allowed his Counsel to rely on the statement in court and only retracted it after Chevalier's statement revealed the true position.

We rightly expect our business leaders to keep to the highest standards of probity. Lying to the court falls well short of these.

C Armstrong, London,

Frankly who cares about Lord Browne's orientation, it is no bodies business but his. However he can hardly be accused of advancing the causes of gay equality and gay tolerance by denying the truth. But to have covered up the truth, under oath, in court, is criminal and he should be held properly to account, as should all other perjurers, those who choose public life will find themselves accountable publically.

Perhaps we could round up the liars in government too, of course that would also include the 'peoples peers.'

John Tremayne, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Perjury is a very serious offence, but he has not been convicted of it and is therefore an innocent man in the eyes of the Law. And as the allegation of perjury relates to the fact that he sai that he met his lover in Battersea Park, whereas the reality that he met him through a website it hardly falls into the category of serious breach. It is also incidental to the core of the story and to Mr Parris' argument, this whole episode is the result of Press tittle -tattle which, as we have lost one of our finest Businessmen, has demonstrably damaged both BP and Britain. This is a shameless example of press intrusion into one man's private life solely for prurient reasons and to fill the coffers of the Mail on Sunday, they may be content with their thirty pieces of silver but it is Britains cost not only because an excellent man has been lost but becase it sets the precedent that any public figure will be subjected to intrusive investigations into their private lives for no valid reason.

Thomas D, London, UK

Amid the maelstrom of words, there is once again a clear sane voice - what would we do without you Matthew?

Richard Jackson, Richmond,

John Brown is one of the finest leaders I have had the opportunity to be associated with . I joined BP (then Sohio) in 1986. Uncertainty loomed for those of us in the oil industry... until John Browne.

Company stories revolved around his loyalty and commitment to BP; the fact that he needed 2 shifts of secretaries, that he had the ability to turn a floundering exploration company into a global player, that he made his employees so proud to part of a winning team.

John Browne's legacy will tell the true story of the fine man he is. He is a gift to his country and to BP. John Brown stayed at the top of his game, giving his employees a company to be proud of. John Browne's success put BP on the map and also put bread on over 100,000 employees tables, their children through college and made everyone feel like a critial component of BP's success.

John Browne, thank you for the mark you have made on our world and on my life. Nothing else matters.

Barri J. Hamilton, Martindale, Texas, USA

Excellent article, Mr Parris. It is so sad that a nasty little blackmailer appears to have succeeded when the facts show Mr Chevalier was well treated by Lord Browne.

Geoffrey, Belfast,

Matthew,

I feel you are losing some objectivity. Your article re Lord Browne today is a case in point. You make many excellent and unanswerable points about the problems encountered by homosexuals in public life in general and in the City in particular.
But, in your eagerness to make these points, you gloss over and downplay the key point – namely Lord Browne’s abuse of his position.
Paul Wolfovitz stands accused of corruptly abusing his position as head of the World Bank for ensuring his lover received a position on preferential terms. Do you think he should stand down if shown to be guilty (I believe he should) ? If so, then so should Lord Browne. If not, then why not ? If you can’t answer this, then I really shall begin to suspect you of special pleading.

David, London

David, London, UK

This case has nothing to do with gay sex Matthew.
It's about perjury.

JC, London,

Come on people! Making a big deal of something because one is gay. The person who should be condemned is the boyfriend! If he were a she, nothing would be made a big deal out of this. Like any spurned lover, he's out for revenge! I say to him "earn your keep", instead the media glorifies him and rewards him with thousands of pounds- what for being a big mouth? This she/man Chevalier should be shunned from any industry for destroying a man who worked hard all his life and attained success through sheer hard work!

Natasha Thomkins, Moscow, Russia

What, you all have never lied? You've never told a half-truth or evaded the question or exaggerated something? Please, this is the problem, our endless self-righteousness when confronted with a good man's human fraility. There is no evidence that Browne is anything other than an intelligent, hardworking man who is at least as honest as the rest of us and at least as honourable. IF the rest of us were as good, the world would be a much better place.

Tim, London,

The Civil Procedure Rules in English Courts state exactly what Truth Statement is to be signed in a Witness Statement. Browne committed perjury as Jonathan Aitken committed perjury.

Lord Browne is a People's Peer in the Upper House; Jonathan Aitken was a Privy Councillor in the Lower House.

Alan Miller was ordered to pay £5 million to his ex-wife Melissa after 3 years of childless marriage. Lord Browne dumps a live-in gay lover after 4 years and tries to use courts and wealth to crush him rather than paying him off as a divorce court would demand for a Civil Partnership

Lord Browne wants it all and thinks all is his, that truth can be flexible in pursuit of his satisfaction. Matthew Parris has spent too long with politicians to understand how this self-serving lying is angering the public, and coming from a People's Peer, the example is proof of why our society is so fractured

TomTom, Oxford, England

The reporting shouldn't be about the substance of the perjury, but rather about the perjury itself. As a gay man, it is of little interest to me that yet another closeted public figure is outed by his/her own stupidity. However, as a law-abiding citizen, I am deeply interested in ensuring that breeches of the law are dealt with regardless.

The Sun et al. are reporting this as gay matter, when in fact it is yet another example of those at the top of the corporate and social heap thinking they can get away with breaking the law.

Scott, London, UK

Poor Mr Browne. I can easily imagine what led him into the situation. He did wrong in his perjury but, frankly, the young man who was going to sell his story to the press did a lot more wrong. It may not be a crime to betray someone's love and trust and try to cash in on it, but I'm pretty damn sure it's a sin.

David van der Hugo, Sendai, Japan,

This is a very sad end to an amazing career. It is not often, these days, that we see a leading businessman with the history of having worked his way up through the company over 40 years.

Gay or straight is not relevant to civilized humans but there is no doubt that being overtly gay would have had a negative impact on BP's share price and future prospects.

We all own part of BP within our pensions and it's annual taxes paid to Goverment serve us all. His honourable action has protected us all in some minor way.

What upsets me is that in an age when we have leading public figures lying and stealing and then trying to defend their actions, the actions of this man are not being held up for praise.

Tim, London, England

Sorry Matthew, but perjury is perjury. The judge rightly decided that no further judicial action against him would serve any purpose, and I'm sure he's right; but you CAN'T dispute the judgment, surely. As to what he did, I'm afraid my opinion of homosexuality as a sin hasn't and will not change with the degenerating zeitgeist. But that's another story . . .

Scott Shearer, London, England

Matthew Parris is quite right. If the judge in the case thought the untruths were insufficient to attract a perjury prosecution, I think that is the end of the matter. Society may now be accepting of homosexuality and business may be learning to accept it, but in the armed forces, in which I serve, I encounter very regular hostility toward homosexuality. Would I lie about my sexuality if I were giving evidence at a Court Martial or Board of Enquiry? I just might

Jonathan Williams, Plymouth, UK

The millions of pounds (dollars) he is collecting from BP ought to soften the blow.---a BP shareholder

Diane, Raleigh, NC/USA

There is no point in having peerages if a person can be stripped of one if he behaves very badly. However, there is no point in succesful business people and failed politicians being given peerages at all. They should be confined to the hereditary aristocracy as a quaint old British institution. Life peerages are silly, neither ancient nor modern, the social equivalent of a fake Rolex.

Of course, if they offered me one........no, I'd turn it down.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

I disagree the media's attitude towards homosexuality is changing rapidly. In fact front-page headlines on most of the broadsheets and tabloids suggest quite the opposite. Anyway, surely the media's and the City's attitiudes towards homosexuality reflect both the Church's and indeed that of most of society before homsexuality was legalised in the 60s.

The mere fact that we are all commenting on this matter suggests that most of the hetorosexual community still views homosexuality as a taboo subject.

Rodney Munch, Northampton, UK

Matthew ,this is the reason we swear on the holy bible or
Koran the LAW IS THE LAW it does not matter if you are rich
or poor it keeps our society in order and administers justice
for all and long may it reign .

george william taylor, hull, uk

In today's society no-one should have to account for their sexual preferences. However, the man lied in court. That is unforgiveable. No-one can defend that. Good that he took the honourable route as he seems to be an honourable man - until he lied. Even you, Matthew, cannot defend that.

Gordon, Woking, UK

Given the plunge in standards of public life to which we have reluctantly and disgustedly become accustomed, Lord Browne comes out of this one rather well, I think. The Mail's gloating prurience is revolting; Lord Browne's resignation is both unnecessary and also quite noble, given the amount of pension he is forfeiting. Can anyone imagine any Cabinet minister behaving in such a way? And bye the bye, who really cares what Browne gets up to in his private life.

Michael Taylor, Malton, UK

Well said, Mr. Parris. Your lucid and even-handed writing impresses more and more. It is a complete disgrace that a man of Lord Browne's quality should have to justify in public his private affections. This is the bigoted action of a self-interested media organisation that increasingly embarrasses civil and modern-minded British citizens. While Lord Browne should be lauded for creating a world leading company, he will now be remembered by many, for the least important aspect of his life as far as the public is concerned. It is called "private life" for a reason. It should remain completely private as long as his capacity to perform his public duties are not compromised.

Tom Porter, Singapore, Singapore

I think Matthew Parris dismisses Browne's perjury a
little too lightly. It is correct to say that it arose as a
means of avoiding the publication of tittle tattle and
is not as serious as the Archer or Aitken cases but
a man in his position should have been aware of the
importance of not lying to a court.

John, LONDON,

I really couldn't give a flying monkeys if he is gay or not.

But perjury??!! How can you defend that?

Sorry Matthew but I can't agree with you on this one.

He should be stripped of his title for lying in the Queen's court

PP, Swansea, UK

Very well said. Is it too much to hope that the BP board would ask Lord Browne to reconsider his decision?

Mark Brady, San Jose, CA, USA

What has happened to investigative journalism. Nothing but it doesnt sell a lot of copy and make lots of dosh.

As the Lady said " I dont care what they do so long as they dont frighten the horses. "

In the world of business and politics who cares what people do in their private lives so long as it is not criminal and leads to no hurt apart from those in the relationship. All relationships have their ups and downs and some dissolve.

John Rutledge, Hastings , New Zealand

Well written. Is this a case of those not needing investigation being investigated by those who do? A jilted lover's sordid stories being peddaled to the highest bidder? It matters not whether this arises from homo- or hetro-sexual origins, it is the gutter press at its most destructive. A lower moral value of the writer rather than the subject .

Lord Browne did great things for his company and country but perhaps he should have moved on earlier when on a high. Lord Browne eventually made the same mistake that Margaret Thatcher made, allowing arrogance to ride above common sense and not allowing those more in touch with present realities to take on the mantle and run. This is the modern sickness of society's elite. We see it with the Prime Minister and many of his Cabinet, I see it daily in business and pleasure. No-one makes mistakes anymore. Friends and family support those who do in an automaton manner defying logic and denying the most positive power of learning from mistakes

Peter Wright, West Kilbride, United Kingdom

I do not understand homosexuality and am to old to lean; but what in the name of heaven has Lord Brown's sexuality to do with his success as a manager? Why this constant holier than thou attitude in the most fallible press? And hands up if you have never told an unthinking white lie. Possibly as a minority of one, I think more highly of Lord Brown today than I did last month. And less of the press.

Ken Hall, Perth,, Western Australia.

Ah well , on 1 side we have Lord Brown stepping down almost unecessarily.....
On the other side we have the thick-skinned Wolfowitz, fighting tooth and nail for his undeserved position , refusing to let go the bone go.

Beatriz Wagner, Brasilia, Brazil

I could not agree more with Mr Parris' analysis. I would only add specific criticism to Mr Eady's ajudicating of the case. Behind the pretence of enforcing the law he is probably doing little else than voicing his own personal aversion towards homosexuals. He has ruined a man's career on what Mr Parris crrectly descibes as 'fiddlesticks'. This whole affair is an embarrassement for all those concerned, not least for the English system of administration of justice.

Bernardino Correa Guimera, Las Palmas, Spain