A member of Britain’s House of Lords has drawn praise and puzzlement for resigning as a government minister because he was late to answer a question.
International Development Minister Michael Bates apologized to another member “for my discourtesy for not being in my place to answer her question on a very important matter,” Bates said Wednesday. He added he was “thoroughly ashamed” and “shall be offering my resignation.”
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With that, he walked out of the Lords chamber to the astonishment of other members.
Labour Party Leader Baroness Angela Smith of Basildon addressed the chamber following Bates’ resignation in an attempt to have him reconsider.
“An apology from Lord Bates is perfectly sufficient. It was a minor discourtesy of which any of us can be guilty of on occasion,” she said.
Former Foreign Secretary William Hague, who now sits in Parliament’s upper chamber, said he hoped “my noble friend, who has given 20 years of strong public service,” would reconsider.
Fortunately for Hague, the resignation from Lord Bates was rejected by Prime Minister Theresa May.
The BBC reported that a spokeswoman for May called his stepping down “unnecessary.”
Bates quit a previous government position in 2016 to walk 3,200 kilometres across South America for charity.
-With a file from Global News.
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