‘Cats’ composer Andrew Lloyd Webber quits House of Lords, says he’s too busy for Brexit
Lloyd Webber was given a peerage in 1997 but has not spoken in the House of Lords this year and only voted occasionally
The theatre impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber has quit as a Conservative peer, saying his busy schedule is incompatible with the demands of the House of Lords with crucial Brexit legislation ahead. Lloyd Webber, whose musicals include Cats and Phantom of the Opera, was given a peerage in 1997 but has not spoken in the House of Lords this year and only votes occasionally.
In a letter sent to the Conservative chief whip, Lloyd Webber said he was currently in the busiest period of his career, including long periods in the US, which meant he was unable to commit to attending key votes in the future.
“I have been privileged to be a member of the house for 20 years and resign with a heavy heart, but in the knowledge that what is expected from a member today is very different from what it was when I joined the house in 1997,” he wrote in the letter.
“I have a work schedule stretching ahead of me that is the busiest of my career to date. This means it would be impossible for me to regularly vote or properly consider the vitally important issues that the House of Lords will face as a consequence of Brexit.”
Records show Lloyd Webber has not contributed to the Lords more than a handful of times a year over the past decade and has voted in just 2 per cent of votes in the house. The composer, whose wealth is estimated at £650 million (US$860 million), said: “I feel my place should be taken by someone who can devote the time to the House of Lords that the current situation dictates.”
