Lords to investigate Baroness Uddin again

A House of Lords investigation into the expenses claims of Labour peer Baroness Uddin is to be re-opened, it was announced yesterday, after prosecutors decided not to bring criminal charges.

The Clerk of the Parliaments, Michael Pownall, said he had referred the complaint about her claims to the sub-committee on Lords' interests. Mr Pownall, the senior official in the upper house, had suspended his inquiries while the police carried out their investigation.

Lady Uddin faced allegations that she claimed tens of thousands of pounds in allowances after designating a flat she rarely used as her main home. But the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, said there had been a "very real difficulty" in interpreting the definition of main residence, which was not defined in the scheme itself or in any legislation. Lady Uddin could still be disciplined by the Lords authorities if the sub-committee finds she breached the guidelines.