Shamed peer allowed back into House of Lords despite failing to repay a penny of her £125,000 false expenses

Monday, November 14, 2011

Shamed peer allowed back into House of Lords despite failing to repay a penny of her £125,000 false expenses

Baroness Uddin owns three properties with her husband but says she is 'too poor' to repay money
Peer had 'never been seen' at main home in Maidstone
Fears she will use tax-free £300-per-day House of Lords allowance to slowly pay back £125k

Last updated at 9:07 PM on 13th November 2011

Shamed: Baroness Uddin could return to the House of Lords without repaying £125,000 in expenses

Shamed Labour peer Baroness Uddin will be allowed to return to her seat in the House of Lords, despite failing to repay a penny of the money she was fined for cheating on her expenses.

Lady Uddin, the first female Muslim peer, was booted out of the Lords for 18 months and ordered to repay £125,000.

Despite owning three properties with her husband, she claims she is now too poor to repay the money. It has emerged the Lords authorities are powerless to prevent Lady Uddin, whose suspension ends in April, from returning.

A ruling by the committee for privileges and conduct in the Lords says that it would be illegal to make her return conditional on the repayment of the money.

It has warned that such an arrangement would amount to a permanent ban and this would infringe her right as a peer to be called to the House by the Queen at the start of a parliament.