IT is 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 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, resulting from an undercover investigation by The Sunday Times, are serious enough to warrant a police investigation as well as political inquiries.

If the charges prove to be true, this will be corruption which goes to the heart of Britain’s political system.

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 rulebreaking peers in line.

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

The real sadness is that it 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.