The Sunday Times report: Price for a peer to fix the law

Two inquiries will begin in the House of Lords today into claims that four Labour peers were ready to accept money for amending laws for clients.

There were calls last night for a police investigation into the alleged actions of the four peers, amid suggestions that such activities would be corruption. The allegations are potentially the most serious about parliamentary conduct since the cash-for-questions affair in the 1990s.

Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: “If these allegations are confirmed, they are not merely a breach of the Lords’ own rules but are surely against the law on corrupt practices. Ex-ministers should not be touting themselves like taxi drivers for hire. The police should interview those peers who have been named and investigate whether they have used any parliamentary procedures to further the interests of their clients.”

A spokesman for Mr Huhne said he would write to the Metropolitan Police today to ask them to begin an inquiry.

According to The Sunday Times, whose reporters posed as lobbyists for a foreign company setting up a chain of shops in Britain, four peers — Lord Taylor of Blackburn; Lord Truscott, a former Energy Minister; Lord Moonie, a former Defence Minister; and Lord Snape, a former government whip – indicated that they were ready to help for money. All four deny that they have broken any rules.

The four peers are certain to be summoned within days before the Lords Interests Committee, set up recently to police possible breaches of the rules, after a formal complaint today.

It will be the first big test for the committee, which is chaired by Baroness Prashar, and whose members include Baroness Manningham-Buller, a former Director-General of MI5, and Lord Irvine of Lairg, the former Lord Chancellor.

At the same time Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, the Labour Leader of the Lords, will conduct her own investigation into the allegations that the four were “for hire” to help to change legislation. The House of Lords Code of Conduct categorically prevents payment to peers as a reward for exerting parliamentary influence, the “no paid advocacy” rule. Ken Clarke, the Shadow Business Secretary, said that if the allegations were true they amounted to corruption. He told BBC One’sThe Andrew Marr Show there had to be a speedy inquiry. “If the allegations are true, this is very serious. To take money to try to alter legislation for the benefit of the people paying you a fee . . . I think some people would call that corruption.”

The Sunday Times said that its reporters approached Lord Taylor of Blackburn claiming to be acting on behalf of a Hong Kong businessman who was concerned at the impact of the Business Rate Supplements Bill on his company. It said that he agreed to work behind the scenes to try to ensure that the Bill was amended, and negotiated a £120,000 annual fee.

Lord Taylor said yesterday that he was approached by two people claiming to work for a lobbying firm and looking for help with a Bill they wanted amending. He said that they had suggested taking him on as an adviser at a fee of between £5,000 to £10,000 a month. “It was their suggestion, not my suggestion,” he said. “I never said I would accept it.”

Asked about his alleged suggestion that the rules could be bent, he said: “‘Bent’ to me means you will try to persuade the bureaucracy of the House to change them.”

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