John Sewel, deputy speaker of Britain’s House of Lords, has resigned after The Sun published photos and video allegedly showing him snorting lines of cocaine with prostitutes.
Sewel, an ally of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, will retain his membership within the House of Lords, the Associated Press reports. Leaked photos and videos appear to show Sewel stripped naked and snorting cocaine. At one point in the video, an escort tells Sewel, “You’re such a party animal!” Sewel responded, “I know. Disgusting, isn’t it?”
One of Sewel’s former responsibilities as deputy speaker was to enforce standards and ethics within the House of Lords.
House of Lords Speaker Baroness Frances D’Souza branded Sewel’s alleged involvement “shocking and unacceptable,” pushing for police to investigate the incident.
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Write to Tanya Basu at tanya.basu@time.com