Drug Shame Peer Apologises and Quits Lords

Lord Sewel has stepped down from the House of Lords after being filmed allegedly taking drugs with two prostitutes.

The 69-year-old Scottish peer apologised for the "pain and embarrassment" he caused after being exposed for apparently snorting cocaine off a prostitute's breasts with a £5 note at his flat near the Palace of Westminster.

Footage showed Lord Sewel, who in his role as chairman of the Privileges and Standards Committee is responsible for setting behaviour standards for peers, in an orange bra and leather jacket smoking and drinking with the women.

In other scenes he attacked some of the country's most high-profile politicians, including Tony Blair and David Cameron, who he called "facile".

In a statement announcing he was terminating his membership of the House of Lords he effectively admitted his behaviour had breached the Code of Conduct, which he had helped to establish.

Lord Sewel is married with four children and his family home is in Banchory.

He was the leader of Aberdeen City Council in the 1970s.

He quit from his role of Deputy Speaker of the upper chamber and chairman of the standards committee on Sunday.

However, until now the Labour life peer, who was a minister in Mr Blair's government, had resisted pressure to step down from the House of Lords permanently.

In a statement he said: "I have today written to the Clerk of the Parliaments terminating my membership of the House of Lords. The question of whether my behaviour breached the Code of Conduct is important, but essentially technical.

"The bigger questions are whether my behaviour is compatible with membership of the House of Lords and whether my continued membership would damage and undermine public confidence in the House of Lords. I believe the answer to both these questions means that I can best serve the House by leaving it.

"As a subordinate, second chamber the House of Lords is an effective, vital but undervalued part of our political system. I hope my decision will limit and help repair the damage I have done to an institution I hold dear.

"Finally, I want to apologise for the pain and embarrassment I have caused."

It came as police with sniffer dogs searched the peer's Dolphin Square flat in central London. Investigators were seen leaving the home after approximately three hours carrying bags of evidence.