Peer of the Week: Lord Paul
Author: Jack Maizels
Published on Aug 22, 2012
Our Peer of the Week series aims to shed some light on the members of the House of Lords who contribute to making laws in the UK. Each week, we’ll look at the chosen Peer’s background, voting and attendance records as well as any controversy associated with their actions, and question whether these really are the best people to be involved in the legislative process.
Who he is:
- Born Swraj Paul in the Punjab region of India, he was given a life peerage in 1996 as Lord Paul of Marylebone
- His career has centred around steel producing firm the Caparo Group, of which he is Chairman and Director
- In 2012, his wealth was estimated to be £850m, making him one of the top 100 wealthiest people in the UK
Political Involvement:
- He served as both Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords and Deputy Chairman of Committees between 2008 and 2010
- Though he originally sat on the Labour Benches, he is now non-affiliated after resigning the Party Whip in October 2010
- His company, the Caparo Group, has given over £14,000 to Labour and £45,000 to Gordon Brown’s leadership campaign, and Paul himself has given the Party a donation of £10,000
Attendance, Voting and Expenses Records:
- In 2011, Lord Paul attended the House on 114 days, but only voted on 4 occasions, spoke in 2 debates and did not submit any written questions
- During this period, he claimed £34,224.70 of expenses, tax free
- Between 2000 and his resignation from Labour, he voted on 359 occasions and against the rest of his Party just twice, giving him a rebellion rate of just 0.6%
- His votes include voting against several aspects of the 2008 Climate Change Bill
Controversy:
- In late 2009, Lord Paul was caught up in the expenses scandal, when it was revealed that he had wrongly claimed around £40,000
- He had registered an Oxfordshire flat as his main residence without ever staying at the property, while claiming money for overnight expenses in London
- In March 2010, he repaid the money before later receiving a 4 month suspension from the House of Lords in October 2010
- He returned to the House in early 2011 and later defended himself, claiming "I feel so strongly that wrong has been done, that I have done nothing to be ashamed of.”
- In addition to the expenses scandal, he was also criticised for being non-domiciled in the UK for tax purposes, leading him to announce in March 2010 that he would give up the arrangement