Theresa May has rejected a minister’s resignation after he stunned peers by walking of the Lords when he missed a question.
Aid Minister Lord Michael Bates said he was ‘thoroughly ashamed’ at the ‘discourtesy’ he had shown Labour’s Baroness Lister.
Peers on all sides shouted ‘no’ and tried to call the minister back to the Despatch Box as he marched out of the chamber.
But a No 10 spokeswoman said: ‘With typical sincerity, Lord Bates today offered to tender his resignation after missing the start of an Oral Questions session in the House of Lords, but his resignation was refused as it was judged this was unnecessary.
‘As a hard-working and diligent minister, it is typical of his approach that he takes his responsibilities to Parliament so seriously.
‘He has received support from across the House and we are pleased that he has decided to continue in his important roles at the Department for International Development and HM Treasury.’
Aid Minister Lord Bates said he was ‘ashamed’ at the ‘discourtesy’ he had shown Labour’s Baroness Lister
Peers on all sides tried to call him back to the Despatch Box as he walked out of the chamber
British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a joint press conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing today. She has rejected Lord Bates’ resignation
Labour Lords Leader Angela Smith sprung to her feet to call the minister back, insisting there was no need to resign over a ‘minor discourtesy’.
Lord Bates said: ‘With the leave of the House, I would like to offer my sincere apologies to Baroness Lister for my discourtesy in not being in my place to answer her question on a very important matter at the start of questions.
‘During the five years it has been my privilege to answer questions from this Despatch Box on behalf of the Government I have always believed we should rise to the highest possible standards of courtesy and respect in responding on behalf of the Government to the legitimate questions of the legislature.
‘I am thoroughly ashamed at not being in place and therefore I shall be offering my resignation to the Prime Minister with immediate effect.
‘I do apologise.’
The incident was triggered when Lord Bates missed the beginning of a debate on income inequality.
His absence forced Lords Chief Whip Lord Taylor to step in to answer the opening question from Baroness Lister.
Lord Bates arrived a few minutes later, but too late to answer the question himself.
Baroness Smith leapt to her feet to insist: ‘I hope the Lords leader and chief whip have heard the House.
‘An apology from Lord Bates is perfectly sufficient, It was a minor discourtesy of which any of us could be guilty.’
Labour Lords Leader Angela Smith sprung to her feet to call the minister back
Liberal Democrat Lords Leader Richard Newby said: ‘Lord Bates resigns because he arrived a couple of minutes late to answer a question in the Lords.
‘He is widely admired as a dedicated public servant and I hope he reconsiders his decision.’
Lord William Hague then rose to begin his speech on the EU Withdrawal Bill to a stunned House of Lords.
Lord Bates has already from Government once before. He resigned as a Home Office minister in March 2016 to talk part in a solo walk across South America.
He quit the Home Office after eighteen months as a minister, to trek 2,000 miles from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro to raise funds for Unicef as part of the UN Olympic Truce ahead of the summer’s games.
He trekked through Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil during his adventure.
Theresa May reappointed him to her frontbench team when he got back, making him a minister in the Department for Aid and International development.
Immediately following the extraordinary moment, William Hague then rose to begin his speech on the EU Withdrawal Bill to a stunned House of Lords