Conduct Committee

Lord Hamilton of Epsom Excerpts

Wednesday 8th January 2025 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom]

As an amendment to the above motion, to leave out from “that” to end and to insert “this House declines to agree the Report from the Conduct Committee The conduct of Baroness Meyer.”

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

I apologise to the House, because the only way that I can possibly speak in defence of my noble friend Lady Meyer is by putting down an amendment. I can reassure the noble Baroness, the Chairman of the Conduct Committee, that I will not press it to a Division.

We are talking here about a total miscarriage of justice. My noble friend’s reputation has been completely shredded by the verdict that has come from the Conduct Committee. She has been accused of being a racist, and I cannot imagine anybody less racist than my noble friend.

Let us look at the two cases which have been mentioned by the noble Baroness. The first is the accusation that she touched somebody’s hair and said at the time, “Is it all right if I touch your hair?” and touched their hair without waiting for their response. For that, she has been held up to be responsible for harassment. It almost defies credibility that harassment should take the form of somebody saying, “Is it all right if I touch your hair?” and then just touching a braid of somebody’s hair.

The more serious accusation against my noble friend is of racism, connected with the noble Lord, Lord Dholakia, and her reference to “Lord Poppadom” when she was coming back from a dinner which had been held on the last day of the visit to Rwanda. Everybody had been drinking, apparently, and she had been drinking too. I am afraid the reality is that alcohol affects us differently, and certainly my advice to my noble friend Lady Meyer would be that it is not the best time to crack jokes, which is what she said she was doing when referring to “Lord Poppadom”. At the same time, you cannot accuse her of racism. This is nothing to do with racism. My noble friend Lady Meyer has a daughter-in-law who is half Eritrean; she has not got a racist bone in her body. She has been subjected to an extraordinary kangaroo court which is held in secret—

[Noble Lords]

Oh!

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, I think the noble Lord is now trying the patience of the House. He should withdraw that remark and focus on the Motion in hand.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

All right, I am happy to withdraw my remarks about the kangaroo court, but it seems to me that this is a committee that meets in secret. We are unable to debate the issues afterwards because of the convention of the House, which is why I have had to put down this amendment today.

This is a very serious matter for my noble friend Lady Meyer. Her reputation has been completely blackened by this verdict. All I would say to noble Lords is that it may be Catherine Meyer today, but it could be you tomorrow. I beg to move.

[Baroness Manningham-Buller (CB)]

My Lords, I much regret the characterisation of the works of the Conduct Committee—set up by your Lordships’ House, obeying the Code of Conduct agreed by your Lordships’ House and focusing on a Standing Order agreed by your Lordships’ House—as a total miscarriage of justice.

In his defence of the noble Baroness, Lady Meyer, the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton of Epsom, made no mention of the effect on the people concerned—the complainants—of her comments, so I do not agree that this is a total miscarriage of justice, nor do I agree with his concern about the fairness of the question. The noble Baroness changed her story. She had ample time to question and challenge the evidence of the complainants and the witnesses. The only redactions in the material provided to her were those needed to protect the identities of the witnesses.

I return to the fundamental point that the noble Baroness addressed twice the noble Lord, Lord Dholakia, as “Lord Poppadom”, and he subsequently complained about this. To say this was just a joke was not how it was received. She was given two weeks in which to appeal against the commissioner’s findings; she did not do so. The facts are clear and uncontested. Given the weight of the evidence, I do not see how the commissioner could have come to a different conclusion.

I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton of Epsom, for indicating that he will not press his amendment, which simplifies the decision before the House. I therefore once again invite the House, by agreeing our report, to confirm that the use of such offensive language is simply not acceptable. I add that, of course, the committee meets in private because sometimes it will dismiss complaints, and it is essential that that continues to happen.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, as I indicated earlier, I am more than happy to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment to the Motion withdrawn.