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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Two Labour peers face suspension | Two Labour peers face suspension |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Two Labour peers face suspension from Parliament for six months after being found guilty of misconduct. | Two Labour peers face suspension from Parliament for six months after being found guilty of misconduct. |
| Ex-trade minister Lord Truscott and Lord Taylor of Blackburn were accused by the Sunday Times of being willing to change laws in exchange for cash. | Ex-trade minister Lord Truscott and Lord Taylor of Blackburn were accused by the Sunday Times of being willing to change laws in exchange for cash. |
| The two men denied the allegations but they now face sanctions following a probe by a House of Lords Committee. | The two men denied the allegations but they now face sanctions following a probe by a House of Lords Committee. |
| Labour's leader in the House of Lords had described the allegations against them as "very serious". | Labour's leader in the House of Lords had described the allegations against them as "very serious". |
| Parliamentary vote | Parliamentary vote |
| The Lords Privileges Committee has recommended the two men be suspended from the House for up to six months after an investigation into allegations made against four Labour peers. | |
| The final decision on their fate will rest with the House of Lords itself, which will vote on whether to exclude them - possibly as early as next week. | The final decision on their fate will rest with the House of Lords itself, which will vote on whether to exclude them - possibly as early as next week. |
| Two other Labour peers - the former minister Lord Moonie and Lord Snape - were cleared of wrongdoing, but invited to make apologies to the Lords for showing an "inappropriate attitude" to parliamentary rules banning paid advocacy. | Two other Labour peers - the former minister Lord Moonie and Lord Snape - were cleared of wrongdoing, but invited to make apologies to the Lords for showing an "inappropriate attitude" to parliamentary rules banning paid advocacy. |
| The BBC's political correspondent Gillian Hargreaves said it was exceptionally rare for members of the Upper House to be suspended, the last case of its kind being in the 17th Century. | The BBC's political correspondent Gillian Hargreaves said it was exceptionally rare for members of the Upper House to be suspended, the last case of its kind being in the 17th Century. |
| The Sunday Times alleged the two peers were prepared to change proposed legislation while it was passing through the Lords in return for money - which would have been in clear breach of parliamentary rules. | The Sunday Times alleged the two peers were prepared to change proposed legislation while it was passing through the Lords in return for money - which would have been in clear breach of parliamentary rules. |
| These rules state that peers should not seek to influence legislation in return for money. | These rules state that peers should not seek to influence legislation in return for money. |
| The Sunday Times released details of secretly recorded conversations Lord Truscott and Lord Taylor had with their reporters in which they discussed what help they might give them and how parliamentary procedure worked. | |
| The two men maintained they had never discussed taking money in return for tabling amendments to legislation. | |
| Baroness Royall, Labour leader in the Lords, vowed to get to the bottom of the allegations, the latest in a series of recent scandals to have damaged the integrity of Parliament. | Baroness Royall, Labour leader in the Lords, vowed to get to the bottom of the allegations, the latest in a series of recent scandals to have damaged the integrity of Parliament. |
| The police decided not to mount a criminal investigation into the case earlier this year, citing the difficulty of obtaining evidence among other factors. | The police decided not to mount a criminal investigation into the case earlier this year, citing the difficulty of obtaining evidence among other factors. |