The 100-Year Life Health Education and Government
Some peers do more for their per diems than others
A handful of peers have claimed hundreds of thousands of pounds in House of Lords attendance payments without carrying out any discernible parliamentary work, Tortoise has found.
Peers are not paid a salary like MPs, but can take a tax-free daily allowance of £323 for any sitting days they attend.
Some have not claimed any allowance, but others have registered a high level of attendance without voting, speaking in debates, submitting written questions or taking part in other business such as select committees.
Over the course of the last parliament, £400,000 has been paid to 15 peers who have claimed attendance for at least 80 per cent of days in at least one month without any discernible activity in that time. Some have made repeated claims of this kind over the parliament.
Lord Swraj Paul, a major Labour donor under Gordon Brown, has claimed just over £100,000 for 314 days’ attendance. In that time he has not spoken in the chamber, submitted a written question or sat on any select committees. He’s voted just once, in 2022, in favour of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Paul, who is ranked as the 38th richest person in Britain on the Sunday Times Rich List, was one of three peers suspended from the House of Lords for wrongly claiming expenses in 2010. He apologised, repaid £41,982 and has since sat as a non-affiliated peer.
Paul is not the only peer to have regularly claimed an allowance for no discernible work. Lord Suri has claimed £51,000, while the Earl of Shrewsbury – who in 2022 was suspended for nine months for breaching the House of Lords code of conduct by accepting payment for parliamentary advice – has claimed £32,000.
Lord Low of Dalston, Lord Cunningham of Felling, Lord Kilclooney, and Lord Dykes all claimed five-figure sums over multiple months with no parliamentary activity recorded.
Lord Cunningham and Lord Kilclooney also claimed the most in travel expenses over the last parliament, for flights to and from London to attend parliament.
Peers who contribute more to the business of the chamber have noticed some of their colleagues “clocking in” to claim their allowance. One told Tortoise it was particularly noticeable on Thursdays and sitting Fridays, when members of the House of Lords would sit in the chamber for just a few minutes before leaving.
Most of the peers approached did not respond to requests for comment, although Kilclooney said he was unable to speak “as I am now suffering from the effect of being shot five times through my mouth by IRA terrorists and lost much of my jaw”.
A House of Lords spokesman told Tortoise: “Members of the House of Lords are not full time politicians and approach their parliamentary duties in different ways. Many will only speak on issues of which they have expertise or experience. The contribution those Members make to improving legislation and holding the government to account can be enhanced rather than diminished by limiting their contributions to areas on which they have significant knowledge. Members can only claim allowances for days they attend the House and undertake Parliamentary work.”
Photograph Roger Harris / House of Lords