Conrad Black Expelled from UK House of Lords for Failure to Attend
Former newspaper publisher Conrad Black is no longer a member of the House of Lords in the UK due to non-attendance.
He was appointed in 2001 by Queen Elizabeth II, receiving the title of Lord Black of Crossharbour.
The UK’s Labour Party made a campaign promise to reform the House of Lords if elected. The party won a majority in the recent election.
Mr. Black is one of many whom the new government is removing for reasons including age. The party had said it would introduce a mandatory retirement age of 80 as part of its promised reforms. Mr. Black, who is 79, was removed due to non-attendance.
During his business career, Mr. Black built up a media empire with his company, Hollinger, and during the 1990s he owned several prominent newspapers including The Chicago Sun Times, Jerusalem Post, and London’s Daily Telegraph. It’s customary for the owner of the Telegraph to be granted a peerage. In 1998 he launched National Post.
He received the Order of Canada in 1990 and became a member of the Privy Council of Canada in 1992.
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Mr. Black eventually sold his newspapers, gave up his Canadian citizenship, became a British citizen, and was awarded the title of Lord Black of Crossharbour in 2002.
In 2005, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Mr. Black with fraud, racketeering, and obstruction of justice. He was found guilty and sentenced to six and a half years in jail and fined $125,000.
Mr. Black has maintained that he is innocent.
Two of the three fraud convictions were later voided and his sentence was reduced. He spent three and a half years in prison.
U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned Mr. Black in 2019.
He now resides in Canada, and regained his Canadian citizenship in 2023.
Reuters contributed to this article.
