A senior peer faces an eight week suspension from Parliament. This follows a clear Lords conduct breach over her speeding fines. Baroness D’Souza reportedly wrote to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. She used official House of Lords stationery for her personal correspondence. The letter complained about multiple speeding fines she had received. Consequently, a standards investigation was launched immediately afterward.
Therefore, the former Lords Speaker queried several twenty mile per hour limit breaches. These offences totalled four hundred pounds in penalties collectively. She argued the fines felt fundamentally unfair to many drivers. The peer also questioned the accuracy of police speed detection equipment. She suggested her car’s speedometer might have been slightly inaccurate. Therefore, she sought to open a conversation about the limits.
Moreover, Baroness D’Souza expressed serious concern about losing her licence. Accumulated points would lead to a mandatory driving disqualification. She stated she lived remotely deep in the countryside. Public transport there was completely unsuitable for her needs. Losing her licence could potentially affect her parliamentary duties. She asked the police chief if this outcome was truly fair.
Furthermore, the Lords Standards Commissioner investigated this incident thoroughly. He ruled the letter was an attempt to influence police action. This action constituted a serious Lords conduct breach for personal benefit. Such behaviour may significantly erode public trust in Parliament. The Commissioner then recommended an eight week suspension period. The committee agreed this was an appropriate and proportional sanction.
Baroness D’Souza later expressed deep regret for her actions. She called the decision to send the letter profoundly unwise. She denied any intention to improperly influence the investigation. Instead, she claimed she sought only to identify mitigating factors. The peer also appealed the proposed suspension as unduly severe. Her appeal was ultimately rejected by the standards committee.
The full House of Lords must now approve this recommend suspension. This incident follows previous controversy about her transport expenses. She previously billed taxpayers for chauffeur driven car services. One journey cost over six hundred pounds for a single trip. This latest Lords conduct breach compounds her history of controversy. The case highlights ongoing scrutiny of parliamentary standards.
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