DfiD minister Lord Bates has just resigned from the government, telling the Lords he hadn’t met the standards required by his office – because he forgot to turn up to answer a question. Not the first time he’s resigned in curious circumstances: in March 2016 he quit as Minister of State at the Home Office in order to undertake a 2000-mile solo walk from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro.

Treasury Minister Lord Bates just resigned from the government after apologising for missing a question from Labour’s Baroness Lister of Burtersett. pic.twitter.com/3hLXmaDC2B

— Richard Morris (@imrichardmorris) January 31, 2018

Colleagues on all sides protested and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lords has called for him to unresign, insisting it was only a minor discourtesy:

Leader of the Opposition in the Lords, Baroness Smith of Basildon, interrupts the beginning of Lord Hague’s speech on the EU Withdrawal Bill to say that Lord Bates really doesn’t have to resign for missing a question. pic.twitter.com/BJdRXqji0b

— Richard Morris (@imrichardmorris) January 31, 2018

At least someone in the Lords has some honour! Or maybe he’s just had enough…