Baroness Meyer Recommended for Suspension Over Racial Remark and Harassment

A baroness is facing a proposed suspension from the House of Lords subsequent to an inquiry determining that her remarks, including referring to a peer of Indian heritage as “Lord Poppadom”, constituted harassment “related to race”. The Lords’ Conduct Committee put forward a recommendation for Conservative Baroness Meyer to be suspended for three weeks. Additionally, the committee criticized her for touching a black MP’s hair without consent. Baroness Meyer initially refuted making the comments but subsequently offered apologies for both occurrences. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch stated that individuals should “treat each other with respect”. Furthermore, the committee advised a six-month suspension for Lord Stone of Blackheath, a former Labour peer, due to bullying behavior, specifically for labeling security staff as “thick” and “stupid”. The committee affirmed a complaint asserting that Lady Meyer employed the derogatory term twice in reference to Lord Dholakia during a taxi journey in February, while on a visit to Rwanda with parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights. According to the report, these comments followed an earlier instance where Lady Meyer had confused Lord Dholakia with Lord Popat, another peer of southeast Asian heritage. Lord Dholakia was present in the vehicle but did not immediately perceive the comments. Other members of the committee, including Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, challenged her regarding the remarks, as noted in the report. Lady Meyer initially disavowed using the term; however, when presented with testimony from two witnesses, she conceded she might have uttered it, attributing it to a demanding day and a dinner where she consumed “possibly three glasses of wine”. The inquiry concluded that Lady Meyer’s conduct toward Lord Dholakia violated harassment regulations, incorporating a “racial element”. Subsequently, she inquired of Ribeiro-Addy if she might touch her braids, proceeding to do so prior to receiving a response. Ribeiro-Addy stated she dismissed the incident with laughter but indicated it caused her to feel “extremely uncomfortable”. Lady Meyer reported that she observed Ribeiro-Addy’s reaction and immediately felt remorse for her actions. The report observed that she had offered apologies for her conduct in both instances. In addition to the three-week suspension, the committee proposed that Lady Meyer undergo tailored behavior training. Catherine Meyer, aged 71, is a co-founder of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and the widow of Sir Christopher Meyer, the former UK ambassador to the US. Theresa May appointed her to the House of Lords in 2018. When questioned about the committee’s determinations during a Friday visit to Essex, Badenoch emphasized the importance of adhering to the rulings. She further remarked, “We need to make sure that we all treat each other with respect at all times.” Previously, Conservative peer Lord Greenhalgh expressed being “surprised and disappointed” by Lady Meyer’s comments. He informed the BBC, “The use of that sort of language is not what I would have expected from my Conservative colleague.” Following a distinct inquiry, the committee advocated for Lord Stone’s suspension for six months, having concluded that he had bullied parliamentary security staff. The former Marks and Spencer executive acknowledged employing an “aggressive” tone when approached by security staff after leaving his luggage unattended near an entrance to the parliamentary estate, in violation of regulations. The report stated: “In subsequent exchanges with security officers, on the telephone and in person, Lord Stone raised his voice, gesticulated, spoke over them and described (an officer) as ‘thick and stupid’.” He declined to relocate his suitcase and utilized impolite and offensive language. Lord Stone lodged an appeal against an initial investigation conducted by the Lords’ Standards Commissioner, which had determined he bullied the staff; however, the Conduct Committee affirmed these findings. In 2019, the Commissioner had previously found him guilty of sexually harassing staff, resulting in the withdrawal of the Labour whip. Subsequent to two allegations against him being substantiated, he consented to participate in a series of “bespoke training and behaviour coaching sessions”. In its report issued on Thursday, the committee declared: “The present case demonstrates that the clear pattern of Lord Stone’s poor behaviour continues.” “Despite the hope we expressed in 2020, Lord Stone appears to have no greater insight into his behaviour now than he did then.” The committee further stated: “His continued inability to control his behaviour and to treat staff with respect and courtesy is unacceptable.” The implementation of these sanctions requires approval from peers, with votes anticipated early in 2025. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.