The Guardian reports that UK parliament recently published a letter ordering Lord Christopher Monckton to “desist” from claiming to be a member of the House of Lords. 

This is following Monckton’s interview with Australian Radio earlier this month. When ABC Sydney’s Adam Spencer asked whether Monckton was a member, Monckton answered “yes, but without the right to sit or vote,” and later repeated clearly “I am a Member of the House.”

Clerk of Parliaments David Beamish sent the letter to Monckton last Friday, declaring “you are not and have never been a Member of the House of Lords. Your assertion that you are a Member, but without the right to sit or vote, is a contradiction in terms.”

Beamish concludes the letter as follows:

I must therefore again ask that you desist from claiming to be a Member of the House of Lords, either directly or by implication, and also that you desist from claiming to be a Member “without the right to sit or vote”.

I am publishing this letter on the parliamentary website so that anybody who wishes to check whether you are a Member of the House of Lords can view this official confirmation that you are not.

David Beamish
Clerk of the Parliaments

According to the letter, this will be the third time that the House of Lords has asked Monckton to decist from his claim. Sir Michael Pownall wrote to Monckton twice in July 2010 with a similar request.

Monckton is no stranger to controversy. He recently apologized for comparing the Australian Climate Advisor to a Nazi. This has created challenges for Monckton’s lecture tour in Australia, where university students recently petitioned to stop Monckton’s lecture at the University of Notre Dame.  

According to the Guardian, Monckton may also face prosecution by the Buckingham Palace for his misuse of the portcullis emblem—the official emblem of the House of Lords and property of the Queen. Monckton has been known to use a slightly modified version in his global warming presentations.