London: Lord Sewel, the deputy speaker of the House of Lords, has resigned from his position after publication of photos and a video allegedly showing him using cocaine with prostitutes.
Lords Speaker Baroness D'Souza Sunday called John Sewel's alleged behavior "shocking and unacceptable" and said she is calling in police to investigate on an urgent basis.
She said Sewel has stepped down from his special position in Britain's upper house. He remains a member of the House of Lords.
The Sun on Sunday newspaper published photographs of him naked and appearing to snort cocaine along with snippets of his conversations with women said to be prostitutes.
The paper claims Sewel stripped naked for a drug-fuelled sex romp at his London flat during which he referred to Asian women as 'whores' and turned a framed picture of his wife face-down.
He was also seen wearing an orange bra, possibly belonging to one of the prostitutes, in a fresh picture published today by The Sun newspaper.
As deputy speaker, one of Lord Sewel's roles was enforcing standards in the House of Lords. He was an ally of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Prime Minister David Cameron also said that Sewel should resign or be expelled from the House of Lords.
Sewel, however, indicated in the morning that he would not quit his role as a peer.
(With inputs from AP)
