THE SNP have lodged a Commons motion demanding Keir Starmer strip Peter Mandelson of his peerage with immediate effect.
Mandelson, who has been a Labour member of the House of Lords since 2008, was sacked on Thursday as UK ambassador to the US after further details emerged of his relationship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Prime Minister is currently facing questions about what he knew about the pair’s relationship, and when, with Sky News reporting that security fears were ignored to push through with his appointment.
And now, the SNP have lodged an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons urging Starmer to take “the legislative steps to remove his peerage”.
READ MORE: Douglas Alexander defends Keir Starmer over Peter Mandelson
It is possible to remove a peerage, but only through an act of parliament, as they are legal documents issued by the monarch and adorned with the Great Seal.
A life peer can resign from their position in the second chamber, but retains their title.
A peer can also have their membership of the Lords suspended or cancelled if they are convicted of a serious offence, or be expelled by the House.
In Mandelson’s case, it is understood that legislation would have to be passed to remove him.
The SNP have called for Mandelson to be “permanently removed from the public payroll”.
The motion reads: “That this House believes that Lord Mandelson has brought Parliament into disrepute; and calls on the Government to take legislative steps to remove his peerage.”
Mandelson was “withdrawn” as ambassador after it emerged he had coached Epstein through his conviction for soliciting prostitution in 2008, as revealed by The Sun.
Gordon Brown installed Mandelson as a peer in 2008 to bring him back into government, after he had previously been removed twice from Tony Blair’s administration due to political and financial scandals.
They could add a few other names into that proposed Act I would think.
Strip the title
Once you sack one peer, you have to wonder if any others have committed misconduct that might be worth investigating (e.g. Baroness Mone of PPE Medpro). And then you start asking questions like “should these people really be appointed for life, shouldn’t they be subject to periodic renewal?” and “why are they political appointments and not elected?”
Haha absolute belter! I’m not sure any MP would want to vote against this motion and be called a defender of Mandelson and thus Epstein.
First thing the SNP have done in a while that I agree with
Isnt this a reminder that diplomats should be diplomats? What’s with this American-style crony appointment?
Isn’t this the 3rd time Mandelson has left a government or government-adjacent post in disgrace? You would have thought the first ones would have made him wholly ineligible to be ambassador…
Zero chance of happening
He knows where the bodies are buried
Could we, while we’re at it, also take titles from people who don’t want them? Or even the extra titles if you don’t want anything changing at all.
Can Parliament remove peerages? I seem to remember it being a huge thing when Archer lost his, and that was only forced because of a criminal conviction.
The mechanism needs to be very carefully thought through. At the moment we have the chaos that people like Boris Johnson can pack the Lords with appointments to tip the balance in his favour. Without proper checks, the ability to remove peerages could then give the ability to remove opposition too.
Good.
They really know how to punch a bruise
Ah so they *can* lodge motions when it suits them.
Just not to protect trans rights.
Slightly performative given that the only people with power to strip Lords of their title is the House of Lords, and the SNP have no seats in the HoL (at their volition).
Huzzah!
Another great slam dunk set up by Sir Keir Sensible. Against himself.
he shouldn’t have his peerage stripped, he should be in the fucking jail, along with the rest of the epstein cohort.
Can we strip baroness sausage links of her peerage too, she said she was going to dismantle it from within but has just sat on her arse next to rapists, paedophiles and the generally corrupt unelected.
I’d suggest that the snp might be better off spending their time on Scottish matters
21 comments
Labour: “Bain Principle says naw.”
THE SNP have lodged a Commons motion demanding Keir Starmer strip Peter Mandelson of his peerage with immediate effect.
Mandelson, who has been a Labour member of the House of Lords since 2008, was sacked on Thursday as UK ambassador to the US after further details emerged of his relationship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Prime Minister is currently facing questions about what he knew about the pair’s relationship, and when, with Sky News reporting that security fears were ignored to push through with his appointment.
And now, the SNP have lodged an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons urging Starmer to take “the legislative steps to remove his peerage”.
READ MORE: Douglas Alexander defends Keir Starmer over Peter Mandelson
It is possible to remove a peerage, but only through an act of parliament, as they are legal documents issued by the monarch and adorned with the Great Seal.
A life peer can resign from their position in the second chamber, but retains their title.
A peer can also have their membership of the Lords suspended or cancelled if they are convicted of a serious offence, or be expelled by the House.
In Mandelson’s case, it is understood that legislation would have to be passed to remove him.
The SNP have called for Mandelson to be “permanently removed from the public payroll”.
The motion reads: “That this House believes that Lord Mandelson has brought Parliament into disrepute; and calls on the Government to take legislative steps to remove his peerage.”
Mandelson was “withdrawn” as ambassador after it emerged he had coached Epstein through his conviction for soliciting prostitution in 2008, as revealed by The Sun.
Gordon Brown installed Mandelson as a peer in 2008 to bring him back into government, after he had previously been removed twice from Tony Blair’s administration due to political and financial scandals.
They could add a few other names into that proposed Act I would think.
Strip the title
Once you sack one peer, you have to wonder if any others have committed misconduct that might be worth investigating (e.g. Baroness Mone of PPE Medpro). And then you start asking questions like “should these people really be appointed for life, shouldn’t they be subject to periodic renewal?” and “why are they political appointments and not elected?”
Haha absolute belter! I’m not sure any MP would want to vote against this motion and be called a defender of Mandelson and thus Epstein.
First thing the SNP have done in a while that I agree with
Isnt this a reminder that diplomats should be diplomats? What’s with this American-style crony appointment?
Isn’t this the 3rd time Mandelson has left a government or government-adjacent post in disgrace? You would have thought the first ones would have made him wholly ineligible to be ambassador…
Zero chance of happening
He knows where the bodies are buried
Could we, while we’re at it, also take titles from people who don’t want them? Or even the extra titles if you don’t want anything changing at all.
Can Parliament remove peerages? I seem to remember it being a huge thing when Archer lost his, and that was only forced because of a criminal conviction.
The mechanism needs to be very carefully thought through. At the moment we have the chaos that people like Boris Johnson can pack the Lords with appointments to tip the balance in his favour. Without proper checks, the ability to remove peerages could then give the ability to remove opposition too.
Good.
They really know how to punch a bruise
Ah so they *can* lodge motions when it suits them.
Just not to protect trans rights.
Slightly performative given that the only people with power to strip Lords of their title is the House of Lords, and the SNP have no seats in the HoL (at their volition).
Huzzah!
Another great slam dunk set up by Sir Keir Sensible. Against himself.
he shouldn’t have his peerage stripped, he should be in the fucking jail, along with the rest of the epstein cohort.
Can we strip baroness sausage links of her peerage too, she said she was going to dismantle it from within but has just sat on her arse next to rapists, paedophiles and the generally corrupt unelected.
I’d suggest that the snp might be better off spending their time on Scottish matters
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