The ennoblement of lingerie tycoon Michelle Mone promised to add a touch of glamour to the House of Lords.
After being appointed in 2015, she pledged to play ‘a full and active’ role.
But last night, Baroness Bra – as she became known when David Cameron made her a Tory peer – was dubbed ‘a disgrace’ after only attending 12 per cent of Lords sittings since June last year.
The 47-year-old, who built up the Ultimo lingerie empire, faces questions over her commitment after it emerged she missed key debates to go on holiday.
June 17: At a yacht race with boyfriend Doug Barrowman, in white T-shirt, three days before missing a vote on the EU Withdrawal Bill
January 10: With fighter Conor McGregor while the Lords debated the Data Protection Bill and domestic abuse legislation
Wimbledon: July 15 – Enjoying the tennis in a month when she did not attend the Lords once out of 15 days when the chamber was sitting
Out of a total of 457 sitting days in the House of Lords since she entered the House, she has attended just 89 – less than two every ten working days.
From June to December last year, she attended five days out of a possible 74, and has only ever spoken in the Lords three times, including her maiden speech.
But she regularly travels the world to make paid speeches at business summits, occasionally using a backdrop featuring her title, Baroness Mone of Mayfair OBE.
Her title has also appeared on literature for a venture capital firm she set up with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Last week, she jetted off to the Maldives and promoted a luxury villa to her Twitter and Instagram followers, missing key debates on Monday and Wednesday on counter terrorism and border security.
After being contacted by the Daily Mail, on Saturday she posted pictures from her ‘long-deserved romantic’ Maldives break, but said she would be in the Lords today.
November 16: Topping up her tan just days after missing Lords debates on counter terrorism and border security
Baroness Mone, who lives with billionaire businessman Doug Barrowman on the Isle of Man, is also under fire for claiming the maximum £300-a-day Lords attendance allowance. Members can claim the full amount – which is now £305, a lower amount of £153 or none at all. Travel expenses are claimed separately.
But in the first five months of this year, she claimed more than £3,000 in taxpayers’ money for 11 appearances. Wealthy peers such as Apprentice star Baroness Brady do not claim the allowance.
In March, when the House of Lords spent eight days debating legislation around the EU Withdrawal Bill, discussed domestic abuse and marked International Women’s Day, she did not turn up once.
July 26: Baroness Mone takes a dip on the Caribbean island in a month when she couldn’t find time to attend the Lords
Instead, she was paid to speak at a homes conference and a business summit in the UK and a forum in Dubai.
She also appears to have holidayed in the Caribbean on the day of a debate on abolishing unpaid work experience.
During a reading of the EU Withdrawal Bill in January, which she attended, she tweeted about leaving the chamber to sell jewellery on a TV shopping channel.
MSP Rona Mackay said: ‘Michelle Mone is, quite frankly, a disgrace.
‘She clearly has no interest in politics… but she has always had an interest in self-promotion and it appears she is using her title to promote business interests. If she had a shred of integrity, she should resign and stop scrounging.’
Willie Sullivan, of the Electoral Reform Society, said: ‘The Lords is an ongoing house of shame. Prime ministers reward cronies by giving them a £300-a-day part-time job. For some it looks like it becomes a business opportunity.’
Baroness Mone’s spokesman said she donated her attendance allowance to charity and was proud to be a member of the Lords, adding: ‘She is also a full-time businesswoman and a fully committed mother. She has made every effort to attend.’