Conrad Black, a member of the British House of Lords, married the beautiful journalist and socialite Barbara Amiel and they lived a lavish international lifestyle.

FORBES: Paint It Black

With a CV that includes top roles with the Conservative Party, the chancellorship of Oxford University, the governorship of Hong Kong and the House of Lords, Lord Patten is no stranger to the higher echelons of the British establishment.

BBC: Profile: Lord Patten

Mr McKinnon, who was arrested by British police in 2002, has already appealed unsuccessfully to the House of Lords and the European Court of Human Rights to avoid extradition.

BBC: Hacker's human rights 'ignored'

The British government's Welfare Reform Bill passed through its final stage in the House of Lords on 1 March.

BBC: house of commons

He became a hereditary peer in the House of Lords after the death of his father, who was British, in 1996.

BBC: Chris O'Dowd to star in Spinal Tap-style series on

"I am perfectly certain that were we to vote to keep Section 28, the House of Lords would once again be speaking for the overwhelming majority of the British people, " she said.

BBC: Peers vote to keep gay ban

In an attempt to counter the proliferation of these courts, a Bill has been tabled in the House of Lords by Baroness Cox calling for Sharia courts to be outlawed where they conflict with the British legal system.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Rollback #4: The United Kingdom takes on Shariah law