Lord Laird
The CIPR Council has today confirmed the recommendation of its Professional Standards Panel that Lord Laird’s membership of the Institute be terminated.
The CIPR took summary action in line with the Charter Regulations following Lord Laird’s suspension from the House of Lords for four months at the end of 2013. The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards had found that Lord Laird breached the Code of Conduct of the House in three respects, all relating to the requirement that Members must always act on their personal honour. In particular, Lord Laird demonstrated a clear willingness to negotiate an agreement which would have involved him breaching the Code. Lord Laird appealed against the decision, and the Committee for Privileges and Conduct had turned down his appeal.
CIPR Charter Regulations specify that the Institute may dismiss a member “if in the course of his profession he is found to have breached the rules of a regulatory or other authority by which he is bound, and it is decided …that the breach is sufficiently serious to justify the termination of his Institute membership.”
The Professional Standards Panel ruled that Lord Laird was acting in the course of his profession, that he was bound by the rules of a regulatory authority for the purposes of the CIPR Regulation and that the matter was sufficiently serious to justify the termination of his Institute membership.
Notes to editors
About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK and overseas. The CIPR is the largest membership organisation for PR practitioners outside of North America. By size of turnover and number of individually registered members, we are the leading representative body for the PR profession and industry in Europe.
The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).