• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Kwarteng says he ‘feels no shame’ over Paterson… hours before U-turn

The business secretary also called on the standards commissioner, Kathryn Stone, to resign in a car-crash interview.

Andra Maciuca by Andra Maciuca
2021-11-04 11:23
in Politics
KWASI KWARTENG

Photo: PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Kwasi Kwarteng admitted he does not feel shame “at all” – and suggested the standards commissioner should quit – after Tory MPs protected a senior Conservative from suspension, only for the government to hang him out to dry hours later by performing a screeching U-turn.

Speaking to Sky News, the business secretary faced outrage on Thursday for suggesting Kathryn Stone should resign in the wake of her damning investigation into former minister Owen Paterson.

“I think it’s difficult to see what the future of the commissioner is, given the fact that we’re reviewing the process, and we’re overturning and trying to reform this whole process, but it’s up to the commissioner to decide her position,” he said.

Pushed on what he meant by “decide her position”, Kwarteng said: “It’s up to her to do that. I mean, it’s up to anyone where they’ve made a judgment and people have sought to change that, to consider their position, that’s a natural thing, but I’m not saying she should resign.”

‘No shame’

Stating it was a “dark day for democracy”, presenter Kay Burley stopped him whilst he was “getting into all the technicalities”, saying: “Frankly my viewers don’t care at all, what they care about is that the government was telling MPs which way they had to vote.”

She added: “In fact, when the result came through, many of them were shouting ‘shame’. Do you feel shame this morning?” Kwarteng responded: “I don’t feel shame at all.”

#KayBurley – Do you feel shame over the #OwenPaterson vote?

Kwasi Kwarteng – "I don't feel shame at all" pic.twitter.com/lPDUP41m0k

— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) November 4, 2021

It comes after MPs voted by 250 to 232, with a majority of 18, to approve an amendment to consider reforming the House of Commons standards system. The move prevented the immediate suspension of the Conservative former minister Owen Paterson.

RelatedPosts

PMQs – Raab’s Glyndebourne ultimatum leaves him brayed by the working class 

‘I feel soiled’ says MP who saw Raab winking at Rayner as she also responds

Indyref2 outcome neck-and-neck as odds for 2023 referendum shorten

Nearly a third of Leave voters think Brexit is going badly

Tories were ordered not to back the cross-party Standards Committee’s call for the North Shropshire MP to be suspended from Parliament for 30 sitting days after it found he repeatedly lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.

U-turn

But, faced with a stinging backlash, the government U-turned on the measures on Thursday morning, with Jacob Rees-Mogg admitting the move had “created a certain amount of controversy”.

The Commons leader said the vote had “conflated the individual case with the general concern” that there was not an appeals process for MPs unhappy with the punishment they faced.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said the Tories had voted to “give a green light to corruption” after MPs lined up to protect Paterson.

“Labour will not be taking any part in this sham process or any corrupt committee,” she said, adding: “The Prime Minister, Conservative ministers and MPs have brought shame on our democracy.”

After the vote, Paterson thanked his colleagues for “ensuring that fundamental changes will be made to internal Parliamentary systems of justice.”

“All I have ever asked is to have the opportunity to make my case through a fair process. The decision today in Parliament means that I will now have that opportunity.

“I hope that no other MP will ever again be subject to this shockingly inadequate process.”

Related: Boris Johnson insists UK will not make concessions to France in fishing row

Tags: kwasi kwartengOwen Paterson

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

British immigrant in Spain says his area is a ‘ghost town’ because of Brexit

Woman baited and harassed by married male colleague wins sex harassment claim

Yorkshire Sacrificed to Fracking

Life after COVID-19 lockdown

In pictures: Tory Glastonbury vs Corbyn’s Glastonbury

MPs told to smarten up for return to Commons

Nadine Dorries raps about Online Safety Bill for TikTok – and ends with painfully cringe mic drop

TLE Meets: Gurinder Chadha

“We may only have a few weeks to save football in this country as we know it” – Collins

The Five Entrepreneurial Rules I live by

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.