TORIES WITHDRAW WHIP FROM DRUGS CLAIM PEER

THE Conservative Party withdrew the whip from the 10th Earl of Hardwicke
yesterday after allegations that he had arranged to supply cocaine to an
undercover reporter.

A spokesman said that if the allegations were proved, the Tory peer could
face expulsion from the party. According to the News of the World, Lord
Hardwicke, 27, set up a drugs deal at the House of Lords on the day peers
were recalled to debate anti-terrorist legislation after the Omagh bombing.

He is alleged to have handed over two grams of cocaine, with an asking
price of UKP120, to an undercover reporter at a restaurant in Chelsea.

A Tory Party spokesman said yesterday that Viscount Cranbourne, the shadow
leader of the Lords, had contacted the peer after publication of the
article. "The whip has been suspended as from this morning," she said. "We
will investigate this matter and swift action will be taken. The
Conservative Party has a robust anti-drugs policy and we condemn
drug-dealing in all forms."

The newspaper claimed that its undercover reporters, posing as businessmen
interested in buying scooters, met Lord Hardwicke and a friend, Stefan
Thwaites, at the Savoy hotel in London last week. The conversation turned
to drugs, according to the newspaper, which quoted the peer as saying: "We
can sort some in half-an-hour. Any time you want cocaine just let me know."

The pair agreed to supply four grams of cocaine, according to the report,
and later went to a hotel room where Lord Hardwicke is alleged to have
taken some of the drug, saying: "We're the best dealers in the world."

The next day, one of the reporters met Lord Hardwicke at the House of Lords
where he set up a deal, according to the newspaper. He is quoted as saying:
"I'll have it in about half-an-hour, but we can meet later if you like.
Just tell me how many grams you want."

The newspaper claimed to have a dossier, including video evidence,
available to police and the House of Lords. A spokesman for the
Metropolitan Police said yesterday: "Any allegations of crime, if received,
will be investigated."

Lord Hardwicke, known as Joe, was the youngest member of the Lords when he
took his seat at the age of 22. He grew up in Mustique, the Caribbean
island favoured by Princess Margaret and Mick Jagger, after his mother
scandalised English society by setting up home there with Basil Charles,
then an assistant to the island's owner, Lord Glenconner.

His father, Viscount Royston, had earlier died of heart disease at the age
of 34. His mother died when he was 17 and while he was at Marlborough,
where his friends included Toby Smith, the keyboard player with the pop
group Jamiroquai. From then he was cared for by an aunt, Lady Annabel Lindsay.

After leaving school he did a business course, worked at Deals, a London
restaurant owned by Viscount Linley and the Earl of Lichfield, and then
spent two years as a political lobbyist before joining the Conservative
benches. He sits on two committees, the all-party parliamentary groups on
film and on motor scooters.

Neither Lord Hardwicke or Stefan Thwaites could not be reached for comment
last night.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski