Britain's cash-for-questions row today got murkier as it claimed the scalp of three peers who have been accused of agreeing to carry out Parliamentary work for money offered by undercover reporters.
Labour party suspended Lord Jack Cunningham, the former Cabinet minister, and Lord Brian Mackenzie of Framwellgate, the former police chief.
Lord John Laird resigned the Ulster Unionist whip and has also referred himself to the House of Lords sleaze watchdog.
Undercover 'Sunday Times' reporters, posing as a South Korean solar energy company, secretly filmed Lord Cunningham, Lord Mackenzie and Lord Laird as they revealed their readiness to wield their influence in the halls of power to paying clients, escalating what is being referred to as a cash-for-questions row.
However, Ulster Unionist Lord Laird, Labour's Lord Mackenzie and Lord Cunningham all deny wrongdoing.
Lord Laird was also filmed by BBC discussing a regular payment to ask parliamentary questions.
He has since resigned from the Ulster Unionist party, pending a review into the allegations.
The fresh claims over political lobbying came after MP Patrick Mercer resigned as a Conservative party whip on Friday after claims by the BBC's Panorama programme that he broke Parliament's lobbying rules.
Mercer is alleged to have taken money from a fake firm professing to work for the government of Fiji. In Parliament, he subsequently asked questions about Fiji.
The House of Lords code of conduct says peers cannot engage in "paid advocacy", using their access to Parliament to make a profit.
The 'Sunday Times' report suggests the three peers, who it filmed separately, may have broken those rules.
