British Lord Baffles Colleagues, Quits Over Missed Question
- Bates resigns as minister after arriving late for session
- He walks out of House of Lords chamber to cries of ‘No!’
Lord Michael Bates in 2014.
Photographer: Holger Hollemann/picture-alliance/dpa via AP Images
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A member of the British House of Lords left colleagues stunned when he resigned from his post as International Development Minister after failing to turn up to answer a question.
Michael Bates had been due to respond to a question from Ruth Lister, a Labour lawmaker in the upper chamber of Parliament, but missed his moment. When he arrived, Bates addressed himself to her.