A baroness has been recommended for three weeks’ suspension from the House of Lords for calling a peer “Lord Poppadom” and touching an MP’s braids without her permission.
Baroness Catherine Meyer is accused of referring to Lord Dholakia as “Lord Poppadom” twice during a taxi journey while on a visit to Rwanda in February with parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), of which she was a member.
During the same visit, the 71-year-old widow of former US ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer, complimented Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy’s hair and asked if she could touch it.
Without waiting for a reply, Lady Meyer then lifted up one of Ms Ribeiro-Addy’s braids, a conduct report said.
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Lady Meyer initially said the “Lord Poppadom” accusations were “unfounded” and “baseless”.
But after evidence from two witnesses, she admitted the incident took place at the end of a long day and after a dinner where she had drunk “possibly three glasses of wine”.
She then acknowledged: “It is possible I said it, but I don’t remember.”
Lady Meyer did not deny the incident with Ms Ribeiro-Addy and said she had intended it as a friendly gesture and had been “entirely unaware” it would be unwelcome, the report said.
“Oh gosh, I did the wrong thing,” she said immediately after understanding the MP’s body language.
The report said Lady Meyer had earlier called Lord Dholakia “Lord Popat” – another member of the House of Lords of South Asian heritage – and she immediately apologised.
But then other members of the party said they had heard her call him Lord Poppadom twice, while he was present in the taxi, although he had not heard the remarks.
Members of the committee were discussing it and Lord Dholakia said he felt “shocked” and “very…
