London, UK: A Tory member of the House of Lords is facing suspension after allegedly referring to fellow peer Lord Dholakia, of Indian origin, as "Lord Poppadom" during a trip to Rwanda in February. The Lords' Conduct Committee has recommended a three-week suspension for Baroness Catherine Meyer, 71, along with behavior training after determining her remarks amounted to harassment based on race. She has also been reprimanded for touching the hair of a Black MP without consent.

Meyer, the widow of former British ambassador Christopher Meyer, initially denied calling Dholakia, a Liberal Democrat and Tanzania-born, "Lord Poppadom." However, she later acknowledged having consumed three glasses of wine at the time and said, "It is possible I said it, but I don’t remember." Meyer also admitted to touching the braids of Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy without her permission during the same trip. Meyer claimed she didn’t realize the gesture would be considered racist.

The conduct committee’s recommendations are set to be voted on in the House of Lords. Meyer is accused of using the term "Lord Poppadom" twice during a taxi ride with the UK Parliament's joint committee on human rights. She initially denied the accusations, claiming it was meant as a joke after Ribeiro-Addy allegedly told her that calling Dholakia "Lord Poppadom" was racist. However, Ribeiro-Addy testified that Meyer used the term multiple times.

Dholakia, who filed an official complaint with the House's commissioners for standards, stated he did not hear Meyer use the term but was informed by other trip members that she did. He expressed feeling "shocked" and "very uncomfortable" upon hearing about the incident.