OF course it's important not to pre-judge the findings of Parliamentary inquiries into allegations that four Labour peers were prepared to accept cash to change legislation.

But it certainly isn't looking good for the peers involved, the House of Lords and politics in general.

Lord Truscott, Lord Moonie, Lord Snape and Lord Taylor, of Blackburn, all deny wrongdoing.

But the allegations against them, resulting from an undercover investigation by the Sunday Times, are serious enough to warrant a police investigation.

If the charges prove to be true, it will be the worst imaginable case of pigs with their noses in the trough.

Whatever the outcome of the inquiries taking place, this unsavoury affair underlines the need to introduce tougher sanctions to keep rule-breaking peers in line.

Unlike in the House of Commons, Lords cannot be suspended or expelled. That has to be changed irrespective of whether the four peers are guilty of corruption at worst or stupidity at best.

The real sadness is that this is already an episode which has further undermined public trust in politicians.

No matter how unjustified it may be, there is a growing national perception that too many politicians are in it for themselves.

Despite the gravity of these latest allegations, the fact that many ordinary people will not be unduly surprised by them says everything about the current reputation of British politics.