FORMER Ribble Valley MP Lord Waddington has been ticked off by the Westminster authorities for suggesting in the House of Lords that Gerry Adams and other Sinn Fein MPs are 'associates of murderers.'

The former Tory Home Secretary made the attack as he led a campaign to stop the Republican MPs being given privileged access to the facilities of the House of Lords.

Lord Waddington, who also represented Pendle as an MP, and other senior Tories are trying to prevent the decision to allow Mr Adams and Martin McGuinness and their colleagues using the facilities of the House of Commons extending to those of the Upper Chamber.

The decision to allow the four Sinn Fein MPs to use offices in the Commons despite refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance to the Queen, has caused a bitter row. Lord Waddington wants to prevent the four from having privileged access to Lords bars, restaurants and other facilities in the same way as other MPs.

Lord Waddington, who still lives in the Ribble Valley, said in a debate last week: "It would be an intolerable insult to those of our members who have suffered at the hands of the IRA if murderers, apologists for murder and associates of murderers were to come anywhere near this place."

The strong language angered some Labour peers who complained to the Clerks.

Now they have written him a letter rebuking him for making personal criticism of an MP in contravention of the House of Lords rules.

Lord Waddington was being tight-lipped about the rebuke.

He confirmed he had been contacted but said: "I don't want to quote from that letter. I cannot believe that the rule was intended to apply to people who are not really proper MPs."