• 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
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
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Owen Paterson dodges suspension after Boris intervenes in lobbying row

Tory MPs were whipped to support the move to overhaul their disciplinary process instead of approving a six-week ban for Paterson.

Henry Goodwin by Henry Goodwin
2021-11-03 16:08
in Politics
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

MPs have voted for a Boris Johnson-backed bid to overhaul their disciplinary process and prevent the immediate suspension of a Tory former minister who was found to have committed an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules.

In an unprecedented move, they chose not to back the cross-party Standards Committee’s call for a six-week ban from Parliament for Owen Paterson after it was ruled that he repeatedly lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.

Instead the House of Commons backed a Tory amendment calling for a review of his case after Conservative MPs were ordered to support the bid and Boris Johnson questioned whether the investigation into Paterson was fair as his party was accused of “wallowing in sleaze”.

The MP for North Shropshire, who angrily denied the findings against him, could have faced recall proceedings that may have triggered a by-election if the recommended six-week suspension had been approved.

Ministers had placed Tories under a three-line whip to support the amendment tabled by former Commons leader Dame Andrea Leadsom.

Tory Ministers and MPs just voted to over-rule an independent cross-party committee which found that a Conservative MP repeatedly breached the rules by pocketing over £100,000 a year to lobby Ministers on behalf of his paymasters.

An absolute disgrace. Rotten to the core.

— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) November 3, 2021

‘Shame’

There were shouts of “shame” and “what have you done to this place” from the oppositions MPs as the House voted 250 to 232, majority 18, to approve the amendment.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner accused the Tories of being “rotten to the core” after the “absolute disgrace”.

RelatedPosts

Senior Tory MP ‘plied four victims with date-rape drugs’

Mail hails Rwanda plan a success…. as TEN migrants ask to be returned home

Johnson says helping struggling families would be ‘shovelling’ money to appease ‘bleeding hearts’

Sunak splashes £500k of public cash on repairing his public image

As well as reviewing Paterson’s case, the amendment calls for a Conservative-majority committee led by former culture secretary John Whittingdale to examine the standards system.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone recommended a ban from the Commons of 30 sitting days for Mr Paterson in a report approved by the Standards Committee.

Stone’s investigation found he repeatedly lobbied on behalf of two companies for which he was acting as a paid consultant – Randox and Lynn’s Country Foods.

Paterson claimed the investigation was unfairly conducted and argued the manner in which it was carried out had played a “major role” in his wife Rose’s suicide last year.

I can understand my former colleagues feeling compassion for Owen given the tragic loss of his wife, but this is a terrible decision that will do real damage to reputation of Parliament https://t.co/V6U50ZQmWq

— Gavin Barwell (@GavinBarwell) November 3, 2021

‘Wallowing in sleaze’

The prime minister said paid lobbying in the Commons “is wrong” and those “who are found guilty of that should apologise and pay the necessary penalties”.

However he told MPs: “But that is not the issue in this case or this vote that is before us.

“The issue in this case, which involved a serious family tragedy, is whether a member of this House had a fair opportunity to make representations in this case and whether, as a matter of natural justice, our procedures in this House allow for proper appeal.”

Rayner, standing in for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during prime minister’s questions after he had a positive coronavirus test, accused the Conservatives of “wallowing in sleaze”.

She added: “If it was a police officer, a teacher, a doctor, we would expect the independent process to be followed and not changed after the verdict – it’s one rule for them and one rule for the rest of us.”

Not all Conservatives followed orders to back the bid, with longest-serving MP Sir Peter Bottomley suggesting overhauling the system now would be improper.

“We chose the system we are now using,” he said. “If we want to consider changing it, we do it in a proper way instead of considering it in the way we are now.”

Related: France ‘grumpy’ in October because of Trafalgar and Agincourt, says Rees-Mogg

Tags: Boris Johnson

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

Lockdown: Furlough scheme extension during new Covid restrictions

Theatre Review: An Enemy of the People, Union Theatre

VIDEO – Ronnie Pickering is BACK and foul-mouthed as ever

Firm removed 12 tonnes of belongings that forced elderly occupant to live in hallway – for almost 30 years

The Weekly Cocktail Recipe – Rosa Picante Margarita

Coronavirus UK – Idris Elba says he has tested positive for Covid-19

Giant bird that can run at 40mph & disembowel a human has been given a new home – a golf club

Caught red-handed: Geoffrey Cox dobbed in by division bell

As Tories cut UC, MP claims £82K isn’t enough to live on – tiny violin sized reactions

Video – Shoppers queued outside world’s biggest Primark overnight

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
  • 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.