Cocaine allegations against Lord Sewel handed to police

IT could be a year before the House of Lords is able to consider a punishment for Lord Sewel, who quit his position as deputy speaker after British newspaper the Sun on Sunday published a video allegedly showing him taking cocaine with women reported to be prostitutes.
The peer also resigned from his role as chairman of committees, the duties of which included chairing the privileges and standards committee and enforcing standards in the Lords.
The allegations against Sewel have been referred to Scotland Yard, and as such any investigation by the House of Lords’ standards commissioner has to be suspended until the police investigation is completed.
If the police decide not to press charges, the case returns to commissioner, and the Lords could be asked to vote on sanctions, which could include suspension or expulsion, in new measures put in place under Sewel himself.
The Sun’s footage also reportedly records Sewel talking about parliamentary expenses and other politicians, referring to members of the House of Lords as “thieves, rogues,” Prime Minister David Cameron as “facile, superficial,” and calling Boris Johnson a “public school, upper-class twit.”
The former vice-principal of Aberdeen University now faces calls to resign from the Lords.