Non-affiliated members of the House of Lords
Members of the House of Lords are said to be non-affiliated if they do not belong to any parliamentary group. That is, they do not take a political party's whip, nor affiliate to the crossbench group, nor the Lords Spiritual (bishops). Formerly the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary were also a separate affiliation, but their successors the Justices of the Supreme Court are now disqualified from the Lords while in office and are listed as "Ineligible" rather than "Non-affiliated".[1]
Most non-party Lords Temporal are crossbenchers. Members with senior official roles are counted as non-affiliated while they hold this role to preserve their neutrality; they may (re-)affiliate to a group at the end of their term of office. The Lord Great Chamberlain and Earl Marshal are not counted, as they are on leave of absence.[2] Some members become non-affiliated after resigning or being expelled from a party, either through a political disagreement or after a scandal such as the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal. Others have had no party allegiance and choose this designation rather than joining the crossbenches.
The UK Parliament website lists the following "Non affiliated Members" of the House of Lords,[2][3] excluding those on leave of absence:[1]
| Member | Previous affiliation | Reason for change |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Adonis | Labour | Chairman-designate of National Infrastructure Commission |
| Lord Ahmed | Labour | Resigned following allegation of antisemitism |
| Lord Archer of Weston-Super-Mare | Conservative | Expelled following imprisonment for perjury |
| Baroness Ashton of Upholland | Labour | |
| Lord Bhatia | Crossbench | Following return from suspension from the House in connection with expenses scandal |
| Lord Boswell of Aynho | Conservative | Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees (2012-present) |
| Lord Collins of Mapesbury | Law lord | Returned to the House following retirement from Supreme Court |
| Baroness D'Souza | Crossbench | Lord Speaker (2011-present) |
| Lord Dykes | Liberal Democrats | |
| Lord Eatwell | Labour | |
| Lord Filkin | Labour | |
| Baroness Ford | Labour | |
| Lord Grabiner | Labour | Resigned to protest the direction of the party |
| Lord Hanningfield | Conservative | Briefly suspended from House of Lords following criminal conviction for false accounting. |
| Lord Kalms | Conservative | Expelled after supporting UKIP in 2009 European elections |
| Lord Laird | Ulster Unionist | Resigned following allegations of lobbying activities in breach of parliamentary rules. |
| Lord Laming | Crossbench | Chairman of Committees (2015-present) |
| Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate | Labour | Following return from suspension from the House in connection with lobbying scandal |
| Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay | Liberal Democrat | Following leave of absence in connection with a dispute regarding Nick Clegg's role as party leader |
| Lord Paul | Labour | Following return from suspension from the House in connection with expenses scandal |
| Lord Smith of Finsbury | Labour | Chair, Environment Agency (2008-2014) |
| Lord Sugar | Labour | Resigned over party's attitude to business[4] |
| Lord Taylor of Warwick | Conservative | Following return from suspension from the House in connection with expenses scandal and imprisonment for false accounting |
| Baroness Uddin | Labour | Following return from suspension from the House in connection with expenses scandal |
| Lord Warner | Labour | Resigned to protest the direction of the party |
There are also several listed with an "Independent" party designation:[2][3]
| Member | Designation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Maginnis of Drumglass | Independent Ulster Unionist | Resigned whip following anti-gay remarks |
| Lord Owen | Independent Social Democrat | Left Crossbenches following donation to Labour |
| Lord Stoddart of Swindon | Independent Labour | Expelled after supporting Socialist Alliance candidate in the 2001 general election |
| Baroness Tonge | Independent Liberal Democrat | Resigned the whip in 2012 after Israeli Apartheid Week comments |
| Lord Truscott | Independent Labour | Resigned following Cash for influence allegations |
See also
References
- 1 2 "Ineligible members of the House of Lords". UK Parliament.
- 1 2 3 "Lords by party and type of peerage". UK Parliament.
- 1 2 "Members of the House of Lords". UK Parliament.
- ↑ Lord Sugar: 'Disillusioned' peer quits Labour Party dated 11 May 2015 at bbc.co.uk, accessed 11 May 2015