Labour has suspended one of its peers a month after he took his seat in the Lords after it emerged he had resigned from a sixth-form college group over allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Lord Joe Docherty, who was introduced to the House of Lords on January 19, resigned as chief executive of NCG in October 2018 after being confronted with allegations he had conducted sexual liaisons while at work.
According to an investigation by the Sunday Times and FE Week, Lord Docherty exchanged multiple sexual messages during an Ofsted inspection and used hotels paid for by NCG to meet partners during work hours.
In one case, he is alleged to have had a sexual liaison while he was supposed to be attending a meeting.
At the time, NCG, formerly Newcastle College Group, was the country’s largest sixth form and further education group.
Lord Docherty was administratively suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation on Saturday, meaning he has also lost the Labour whip.
It has been reported that he did not mention the resignation while undergoing vetting for his appointment to the House of Lords.
In a statement to the Sunday Times, Lord Docherty said the allegations had been “robustly disputed” and would have been challenged had the matter gone to a disciplinary hearing.
He also accused the person who investigated the allegations of bias, telling the Sunday Times: “I fully accept that whether as a member of the House of Lords or as a senior executive, accountability is paramount and I welcome legitimate scrutiny.
“However, I am also entitled to a private life. The apparent leaking of a version of a confidential internal HR report and The Sunday Times’s reliance upon such a document is disgraceful.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour Party expects the highest standards from our members. All complaints are thoroughly assessed in line with our rules and procedures.”
In a separate development, another of Sir Keir Starmer’s new peers, Baroness Ann Limb, said she would not take up her seat in the Lords over claims about her time chairing the City & Guilds charity.
Baroness Limb, who previously admitted lying about holding a PhD, oversaw the sale of the charity’s assets that saw two executives receive bonuses of more than £1 million.
The Sunday Times reported that the Charity Commission has opened an investigation into the sale.
Baroness Limb said: “I will not be taking my seat in the Lords until matters relating to my previous voluntary roles are resolved.”
Both Lord Docherty and Baroness Limb were made peers in December 2025 at the same time as another controversial appointment, former Downing Street communications chief Matthew Doyle.
Lord Doyle lost the Labour whip on February 10, more than a month after it was reported he had campaigned for a council candidate who had been charged with possessing indecent images of children.
He has since apologised for his association with Sean Morton, who later admitted the offence, while Sir Keir claimed Lord Doyle had not given “a full account” of his links with the paedophile councillor.
