Female peers hit out at fellow Lords for their “cruel” attitudes

Two female peers have hit out at fellow Lords for their “cruel” attitudes, in a debate on claims of sexual harassment against Lib Dem peer Lord Lester.

The House of Lords voted by 101 to 78 to delay a decision by a Parliamentary watchdog to hand Lord Lester a near-five-year ban over allegations he tried to get a woman to have sex with him in return for a peerage.

Lord Lester has maintained that the claims - made by author and campaigner Jasvinder Sanghera about events said to have taken place 12 years ago - are "completely untrue".

But Baroness Jones, of the Greens, told the Guardian she was so shocked by the debate on his ban that she left the chamber.

She said: “I actually walked out of the debate at one point because I was so shocked at the things that were being said…

“So mysogynistic [and] victim-blaming.

“I couldn’t believe this was happening in 2018. It was so archaic and, honestly, cruel.”

Meanwhile fellow Lib Dem peer Baroness Hussein-Ece said she had become “more and more incredulous and angry” as the debate went on.

“It was pretty awful. I just couldn’t believe how it was unfolding."

She added: The debate was all about how unfair it was to Lord Lester and how he was a great friend of all of them.

“It was the establishment, the old boys’ network, coming together to look after their own."

The matter returns to the Lords privileges and conduct committee on Tuesday, which is expected to push again for the punishment.