Lords gear up for new by-elections

They’re the by-elections all of Westminster is talking about. No, not the race for Tiverton and Wakefield in the Commons but the battle to replace two vacant seats in Lords. For, following the retirement of Lord Brabazon of Tara and the death of Lord Swinfen, hereditary peers who take the Tory whip are gearing up to decide who among their number shall take their place.

These contests are held every time one of the 92 hereditary peers still in the Upper House die or choose to leave the chamber. Some 42 places are reserved for Conservative members. Each candidate submits a brief manifesto statement with previous highlights include the Earl of Limerick using a, er, limerick to support his case. Mr S has spent the morning combing through the manifestos to bring you the best and the worst of the election statements put out by the dozen peers hoping to make it into the Upper House.

They’re certainly an eclectic bunch: Lord Wrottesley is an Old Etonian and Irish Olympian, who achieved the best result of any Irish athlete at the Winter Games after finishing fourth in the men’s skeleton in 2002. Wrottesley, whose full name is Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdon Wrottesley, has also been embroiled in a tax domicile row with HRMC. Edward Charles d’Olier Gibson, 5th Baron Ashbourne, meanwhile was found guilty of assaulting a policeman, something he conspicuously did not mention on his statement.

The former LBC presenter was ordered to wear an electronic tag for two months after a ‘sustained and drunken’ attack in 2013. It’s certainly a contrast with Lord Biddulph, who claims that ‘In the light of recent political events, it is important that the House of Lords retains its dignity and integrity’ adding ‘I would wish to be part of and would uphold those values.’

But the most intriguing statement of all is that submitted by David Ward, 5th Earl of Dudley. He appears to be using the Lords’ contests to boost subscribers to his YouTube channel, having simply post a link to it with the caption ’13 new videos, since submitted for last by-election’. Is this the first hereditary influencer? When asked by Mr S, a Lords spokesman confirmed that the statement was indeed genuine, with ‘Earl Diddley’ appearing to be the name under which Ward, 75, performs.

Underneath one of the videos is a caption which claims: ‘this song has, in actual fact, been lifted and a video added from the D.D. (David Dudley) C.D. album of his own songs, “Fate”, produced in Spain in 2019.’ Another claims to be ‘a satirical dismantling of the “groupie” mentality’ while a third featuring naked women is described as being a ‘song about detached and disdainful promiscuity as a substitute for failed romances.’ If elected, he’ll certain bring, er, novel experience to the Lords.

Incidentally, a bill to replace the Lords with a democratic senate is today being presented by Tory backbencher Paul Maynard to the Commons. Maynard is a self-confessed member of ‘one of that die-hard band of Conservatives who believe in a 100 per cent elected upper chamber.’

Let’s hope, for their lordships’ sake, that the current by-election shenanigans don’t add to Maynard’s band of supporters.