Lords’ Excuses For Missing Sexual Harassment Workshop
Yesterday it was revealed that Lord Kalms, Lord James, and Lord Willoughby de Broke breached the Lords’ code of conduct and have been banned from the House’s dining, banqueting, library and meeting room facilities, after swerving the two-hour ‘Valuing Everyone’ training session.
Guido has dug through the House of Lords Conduct Committee report and compiled some of the best ‘dog ate my homework’ excuses conjured up by the Lords in question…
- Kalms wrote to the commission and complained that a letter on the 15 April 2021 was “the first notification I have received regarding Value Everyone Training. I would appreciate some informed information. How was this instruction approved in the Lords – I completely missed it.” That seems unlikely considering that the requirement for all members to attend the training by April 1, 2021 was agreed by the House as early as 3 November 2020…
- In a later letter Kalms took issue with the name of the ‘Value Everyone Training’. He curtly wrote “…how dare your committee introduce the word training. Pets are trained. Students are taught.” Quite right…
- Lord Willoughby de Broke decided to “opt out” of the compulsory training to avoid wasting the trainers’ time. He wrote: “however much training I get I will never value everyone; as an example I will never be able to value murderous terrorists, however many re-education or self-criticism camps I am required to attend. Fair enough…
- Lord James was found to be in breach of the code after responding “well beyond the deadline of the 1 April set” despite having “no valid or exceptional circumstances”. Guido thought a Lord would be able to clock in on time…
Guido wonders whether the Lords will re-consider now that their privileges have been taken away…
UPDATE: Andrew Bridgen MP points out that he has refused to do the course. In the Ms A sexual harrassment case it was Bridgen who gave evidence for the prosecution against the Labour MP Mike Hill who had done the course, as had Labour MP Kate Hollern who tried to obstruct the investigation. Who actually valued everyone?
