House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015
The House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which authorised the House of Lords to expel a member, or to suspend a member for a definite period of time. This power may only be exercised for conduct which either was committed or became public knowledge after the Act comes into force. A member who is expelled is disqualified from becoming a member again. This act arose from a private member's bill sponsored by Baroness Hayman and Sir George Young. Background Historically the House of Lords had no power to expel a member from the House, even if they had committed a criminal offence or been imprisoned. An example of this was when Lord Black of Crossharbour was imprisoned for three years and was placed on a leave of absence from the House but only had to give three months notice in order to return. The strongest sanction the House of Lords could issue against a peer was a suspension for the rest of the Parliamentary session. In 2009, the Committee for Privileges and Conduct issued a report suggesting that the House be granted the power to expel members. The resulting