Proposed suspension of Swraj Paul from House of Lords criticised

UK weekly says Paul targetted for his closeness to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown

The proposed suspension of three peers of Asian origin,Lord Swraj Paul,Baroness Manzila Pola Uddin and Lord Amirali Alibhai Bhatia,has come in for sharp criticism by well-known British weekly ‘New Statesman’ which says “the whole process seems to be totally arbitrary and random”.

A day after the Privileges Committee of House of Lords recommended that the three peers be suspended from the House for periods varying from four months in the case of Paul to 18 months in the case of Bangladesh-born Uddin over expense claims,the weekly carried a longish interview with Lord Paul stating that he had been targeted “more harshly than other peers”.

The Committee said that Paul had not acted “dishonestly or in bad faith” but his actions in claiming allowances for a residence outside London were “utterly unreasonable and demonstrated gross irresponsibility and negligence.” The House of Lords is scheduled to discuss the recommendations this Thursday before taking a final decision.

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The ‘New Statesman’ recalls cases of dozens of other peers whose false,dodgy or inaccurate allowance claims had been excused or ignored. This includes the case of one peer who had claimed more than 100,000 pounds by saying that a converted stable on his parents’ country estate was his main home.

The weekly goes on to say that some have suggested that part of the reason Paul has been the subject of “such a severe sanction” is that the 5-member sub-committee on Lords’ interests which investigated the three peers and recommended suspension,included Derry Irvine,an ardent supporter of former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair.

“Paul is a prominent Brownite. In his own words he has been a ‘steadfast friend and supporter of Gordon Brown,who I believe was a great Prime Minister,'” it said.

The ‘New Statesman’ quoted a source present at Paul’s testimony to the sub-committee in June as saying that “Irvine’s face blackened when Paul suggested that he was being targeted by the committee because of his links to the former Prime Minister.”