The lights go out in the blackout in the House of Lords

There was a brief power outage in the House of Lords on Monday evening when colleagues were sitting together.

The lights in the Lord’s room flickered before going out, a short but loud buzzing sound being heard as they faltered.

Television screens also went dark while Justice Secretary Lord Bellamy was speaking in the mailbox.

The microphones briefly went out in the House of Commons and the lights also flickered in other parts of the estate.

Emergency lighting continued to illuminate the House of Lords during the brief power outage.

Lord Bellamy commented on the electricity cut and told the room: ‘Ah, I must have said something very controversial.

“I still have a light, so yes, thank you.”

The minister continued his speech, reading his notes by the light of a table lamp as he responded to a brief debate on support for parents considering separation.

The Lords adjourned shortly after Lord Bellamy concluded his speech, pending final word from the House of Commons on the Rwanda Security (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.

It came in the middle of the late-night back and forth between the House of Commons and the Lords over amendments to the bill.