Yesterday Lord Sewel stepped down from the Lords after the Sun on Sunday published photos of the former deputy speaker snorting cocaine through a five pound note in the company of two prostitutes. While Labour were quick to suspend him from the party, one man has come to the defence of the disgraced peer. Step forward Lembit Öpik.
The former Lib Dem MP says that Sewel should be commended for stepping down:
‘He’s got to be respected for this. People need to lay off him now. He’s done exactly what people wanted him to do.’
What’s more, Öpik thinks that there is still hope for Lord Sewel, claiming he is now in the perfect position to launch a new career cleaning up the murky world of Westminster politics. He tells Steerpike that Sewel’s experience ‘could be a catalyst’ to change the Commons:
‘He could grasp the mettle and say “Okay, I was hypocritical in talking about standards in one way and behaving a different way, but I recognise that’s because our society is hypocritical and Parliament is hypocritical”. If he did that, his experience could be a catalyst for change. After all, he has had to resign because he was caught.’
Opik says if every MP who had taken drugs stepped down there would be a huge number of resignations:
‘If every member of the Commons, for example, who’s taken illegal substances had to resign – whether or not they were caught – there’d be a massive number of resignations straight away, even in the Cabinet. What he’s been accused of may be personal and embarrassing, but it’s not actually illegal. What he’s done is salacious and makes great headlines, and also he’s said some things which were undiplomatic, but what he could do is open a debate about political consistency versus political hypocrisy. He could throw his hands up and say “I know what I’ve said and done are two different things, and I know Parliament should start becoming more honest with itself and the public and it would get more respect.” It won’t get him his job back, but it could at least cause others to be more honest about how they live and what they do and how they judge others.’
If that fails, perhaps Sewel will consider relaunching a career with the Liberal Democrats, who have sympathetic drug policies. Given the size and calibre of Tim Farron’s 22-person strong spokesman team that was announced today, there are plenty of roles up for grabs for a man with such experience.
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