Labour Peer Lord Pendry has been handed a week’s suspension by the House of Lords’ conduct committee, which found him to have bullied a member of security staff to the point of being “physically shaken and unnerved” after he berated them for trying to escort an un-passed guest whom the Lord had left unattended. As the security guard recounts: 

“In the course of carrying out my duties in the east division HOL, I discovered a paper pass holder. I dealt with the pass holder in a polite manner and escorted [them] to a toilet in lower waiting. On the pass holder being returned to [their host, thought all was good I returned to my post.

But at approximately 1800hrs a peer unknown at the time, approached me grabbing my radio demanding to know my name. This incident was witnessed (KL], Door keeper, who assisted me. I called for support.

This whole incident left me physically shaken and unnerved. I submit this to you and thank you. This all took place on the 6/7/21.”

The incident above was in fact Lord Pendry’s second altercation with parliamentary security, with the standards committee also investigating an incident last year in which Pendry himself lost his pass and when confronted by security trying to get on the estate called the guard “a fool”, “stupid” and at that point said “this is f***ing ridiculous”. At this time the Commissioner found there was not enough corroborative evidence to establish a breach of the rules on the balance of probabilities…