Legislation to strip peers of their titles will be brought forward in next month’s king’s speech as the government grapples with the fallout from the controversy surrounding Peter Mandelson and Matthew Doyle.
The bill, which is being handled out of the Cabinet Office and will be the first mechanism to remove membership of the upper chamber, has been fast-tracked since further details emerged about Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office but released without charge in February after documents in the Epstein files appeared to show him forwarding market-sensitive information to the disgraced financier. Mandelson has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Doyle was suspended from the Lords less than a month after being made a Labour peer in January after it was revealed that he had campaigned alongside Sean Morton, a former Scottish Labour councillor, after he had been charged with child sex offences. Morton was later convicted.
The Observer revealed in February that ministers had ignored attempts by Labour MPs and peers to block Doyle’s elevation.
Sources told The Observer that the long-awaited legislation might prompt soul-searching from the two peers.
One MP said: “I assume Mandelson will resign, but if he doesn’t I assume they will be stripped together… It is clear that someone needs to have a chat with Doyle and tell him that he should stand down or he will find himself the first Lord to have his peerage stripped.”
It is thought the legislation could apply to other problematic peers, including Michelle Mone, whose firm has been ordered to pay £122m in damages for supplying faulty PPE during the pandemic.
A Cabinet Office source said: “The PM is clear he does not believe Mandelson should be able to use his title – but this issue is bigger than one individual. For decades, some disgraced peers have benefited from their titles and the lack of accountability surrounding them.
“The government is committed to bringing forward comprehensive legislation that could be applied to any disgraced peer.”
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The row about both men reignited after the Guardian revealed that Mandelson had been appointed British ambassador to the US after failing developed vetting in January 2025.
On Tuesday, Doyle was further thrown in the spotlight after the former Foreign Office permanent under-secretary Olly Robbins claimed that No 10 had asked him to find the spinner a diplomatic role and that he was “under strict instructions” not to mention it to then foreign secretary David Lammy.
Doyle issued a statement after Robbins’s hearing, saying: “I have never sought any head of mission, ambassador or any equivalent leadership-type posting. I was never aware of anyone speaking to the [Foreign Office] about such a role for me. My desire after leaving No 10 was to stay in UK politics.”
However, at Wednesday’s PMQs, Keir Starmer appeared to concede that he was aware of the request, telling MPs: “When people leave roles in any organisation, there are often conversations about other roles they want to apply for, but nothing came of this.”
Doyle did not respond to requests for comment.
Photograph by Mark Richards/WPA Pool via Getty Images