Lords refuse to ban grope scandal peer

ACCUSATIONS Lord Lester THE House of Lords has blocked the suspension of a peer who groped a woman and offered her a peerage for sex.

Peers yesterday voted by a majority of 101 to 78 to send Lord Lester’s case back to the Lords Committee for Privileges and Conduct for review.

Lord Lester, 82, had faced a four-year parliamentary suspension. The committee earlier found he groped campaigner Jasvinder Sanghera, 53, and offered her “corrupt inducements”, in 2006.

Lord McFall, Lords senior deputy speaker, said yesterday: “I am deeply disappointed by today’s decision by the House.”

Lord Lester responded: “I... now look forward to restoring my reputation.”