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Two members of the House of Lords face impending suspensions due to violations involving the provision of parliamentary services in exchange for “payment or reward.” The individuals involved are Lord Richard Dannatt, a former Army chief, and Lord Evans of Watford, a businessman. Lord Dannatt is expected to receive a four-month suspension, while Lord Evans will face a five-month suspension.
These sanctions stem from inquiries launched by the House of Lords’ standards watchdog following an undercover investigation conducted by the Guardian newspaper. Both peers chose not to contest the findings or the penalties imposed by the standards commissioner; these sanctions will take effect once formally approved by the House of Lords.
The investigation revealed specific breaches by both peers. The standards commissioner found that Lord Dannatt, a crossbench peer, had violated the code of conduct by communicating with government ministers and officials on behalf of three companies—UK Nitrogen, Teledyne UK, and Blue International Holdings—in which he held financial interests. Similarly, Lord Evans was found to have breached rules in four separate instances, including sponsoring parliamentary events for a company he partly owned, Affinity, which was also connected to his son.
Both men referred themselves for investigation after the Guardian’s undercover reporters exposed their comments. Lord Dannatt was recorded offering to facilitate introductions to government figures and to cultivate relationships with influential ministers. While the commissioner determined that actual lobbying had not taken place and no payments were received, Lord Dannatt showed a willingness to engage in activities akin to paid parliamentary services, which violated the code’s requirement for peers to “always act on their personal honour.” Additional breaches were identified when he contacted officials about companies linked to his financial interests. Despite his claimed motivation of acting in the national interest and his expressions of remorse, the commissioner found these did not excuse the breaches. Lord Dannatt acknowledged the findings, emphasizing that he had fully declared his interests and accepted the imposed sanctions without appealing.
Similarly, Lord Evans was found to have failed in acting with personal honour by offering introductions to MPs and sponsoring parliamentary events for Affinity, a company from which he derived financial benefit. The events, promoted with ticket prices exceeding the actual cost per attendee, violated House of Lords regulations. Although Lord Evans believed his shares had been transferred fully to his son in 2013, this misunderstanding did not mitigate the seriousness of the breaches, leading the commissioner to recommend a substantial suspension period
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