The peers who are giving up their seats in the House of Lords to keep their non-dom tax status can, apparently, keep their title.

I read that the MP for Bassetlaw, John Mann, is planning to do something about it.

Excellent news.

Lord Laidlaw, the former vice chair of the Conservative Party, is one of the infamous five who have chosen to quit Parliament rather than pay all the taxes that are due.

Given his track record this comes as no surprise.

When he was ennobled in 2004 he promised the House of Lords Appointments Commission that he would end his tax exile and bring his tax affairs on-shore. He never did, preferring to rough it in Monaco.

He shamelessly reneged on his promise and, in 2007, was publicly rebuked by Lord Stevenson, then chair of HOLAC. 

Another vice chair of the Conservative Party, Lord Ashcroft, assures us that he has now given up his non-dom status.

A decade ago, he solemnly promised the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee (now abolished) that he would not take up his seat in the House of Lords until he had brought his tax affairs on shore.

As everyone now knows, he took the peerage in 2000 but didn’t pay the taxes until 2010.