Frances D’Souza wrote to Met commissioner in apparent attempt to evade sanction for exceeding 20mph speed limit
Former lord speaker Frances D’Souza is facing suspension from the Lords after writing to the Metropolitan police commissioner to try to “influence a police investigation into alleged speeding offences”.
Lady D’Souza wrote to Mark Rowley saying she feared she would have to give up attending parliament if she were banned from driving for exceeding the limit in a 20mph zone.
The Met police said it had considered launching a criminal investigation into the apparent attempt to influence the commissioner but decided against it. It then passed the letter to the House of Lords conduct committee to investigate whether it breached the code of conduct.
D’Souza did not dispute the case but appealed against the sanction – a recommended eight-week ban from the Lords for seeking “to influence a live police investigation”.
