Mandelson shared government emails with Epstein, files suggest, as calls grow for full investigation
Can Mandelson be removed from the House of Lords and lose his peerage?published at 16:00 GMT
Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter
Image source, PA Media
Starmer believes Mandelson “should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title”, Downing Street said earlier.
There is more than one way to remove someone from the House of Lords, says Meg Russell, professor of politics at University College London, and director of the university’s constitution unit.
One way is “the person removes themselves and they could take retirement”, and another is for the Lords to vote them out.
“Peter Mandelson is already on leave of absence.
He could choose to permanently retire,” Russell says.
If a person chooses not to retire, but members of the Lords think they should go, then “they could be removed for breaching the Lords Code of Conduct. A 2015 statute potentially allows the Lords to do that,” Russell says.
In theory, if the Lords judge that someone has broken the Code of Conduct, then there could be a motion to remove them and a vote of the House.
A third, which would also remove the title of Lord, is very rare and involves a new act of Parliament, she says.
“Removing the title is a much more difficult process as the title has been bestowed by the Crown,” Russell says.
To take away a peerage, “you need legislation to do that”, Russell says.
