Paterson’s MP allies stage 11th-hour plot to clear him
Party whips will tell Tories to back dramatic change of sleaze policing
SENIOR Tory MPs last night launched a last-ditch attempt to spare Owen Paterson from a 30-day Commons suspension for an ‘egregious’ breach of lobbying rules.
In an unprecedented move, allies of the ex-minister will today refuse to accept the findings of a report by the anti-sleaze watchdog and instead call for a reform of the system.
Former Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom has tabled a parliamentary amendment that would see Mr Paterson’s potential suspension paused pending a review.
Tory whips will back the Leadsom amendment when it comes to the vote today. Last night, a Government source said the amendment would get the PM’s backing if it is selected.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards last week found Mr Paterson guilty of an ‘egregious case of paid advocacy’ on behalf of two companies, Randox and Lynn’s Country Foods, for which he was acting as a consultant.
In a damning report, Commissioner Kathryn Stone recommended Mr Paterson should be suspended for 30 days, which could trigger a by-election in his North Shropshire constituency.
Mr Paterson has maintained his innocence and claimed the ‘biased’ way the inquiry was carried out was a major factor in the suicide of his wife Rose last year.
His allies have since called for changes to be made to the system so politicians can appeal. The Leadsom amendment will only be put to a vote if selected by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
Last night, it was revealed that Government whips would tell Tory
MPs to back the amendment that would effectively lead to the standards watchdog being disbanded. It was suggested this could even lead to the resignation of Miss Stone.
Sir Lindsay is reportedly concerned that overturning the Commissioner’s recommendations risks bringing the House into disrepute. But his predecessor, John Bercow, has said the process leading to the ban was ‘indefensible’ and was not ‘conducted in accordance with natural justice’.
In a letter to Mr Paterson, Mr Bercow said: ‘You have experienced a protracted, Kafkaesque process.’ And he said it was ‘wrong and indefensible, 14 months after launching her investigation, that [Miss Stone] should write her first memorandum to you to announce that she considers you guilty of transgressions when she has not troubled to interview you’, according to The Times.
Commons Leader Jacob ReesMogg yesterday questioned the fairness of a probe into Mr Paterson. He expressed sympathy for the MP’s claim that the commissioner did not speak to 17 witnesses who came forward to support him, describing that decision as ‘interesting’. He told his ConservativeHome podcast: ‘It is always very important that systems appear to be fair, and therefore if somebody has witnesses, it would normally appear to be fair that those witnesses should be heard.
‘The commissioner in her report that was adopted... said the witnesses weren’t needed because their evidence they gave wasn’t relevant to the inquiry. And that is an interesting view to come to, because other people might say: “How do you know whether it was relevant to the inquiry until you’ve taken their evidence and have found out the precise context of how things were done?”’.
Labour’s shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbinaire said: ‘The amendment tabled undermines the independent standards process including the commissioner and the committee.
‘The cross-party standards committee, including four Tory MPs, endorsed the commissioner’s 30day sanction for a breach of the rule around paid advocacy.
‘If the Government votes through this amendment, it sends a message to the public that Tory MPs are above the rules and just don’t care.’
Downing Street refused to be drawn on whether Boris Johnson viewed the report as flawed, as Mr Paterson and his allies have claimed. The Commissioner found that between November 2016 and November 2017 Mr Paterson made three approaches to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) relating to Randox and antibiotics in milk, in breach of the ban on paid advocacy.
He was also found to have made four approaches to ministers at the Department for International Development relating to the company and blood testing technology between October 2016 and January 2017.
And Mr Paterson was found to have made seven approaches to the FSA between November 2017 and July 2018 relating to Lynn’s Country Foods.
The Commissioner further found that he failed to declare his interest as a paid consultant to Lynn’s Country Foods in four emails to FSA officials and that he used his parliamentary office for business meetings with his clients on 16 occasions between October 2016 and February 2020.He also sent two letters relating to his business interests on Commons headed notepaper – the only breach of the rules which he accepted.
How can politicians expect the trust and respect of the public if they turn a blind eye to egregious wrongdoing by colleagues?
That question comes into sharp focus today. MPs will vote on whether to suspend owen Paterson from the Commons, potentially triggering a by-election.
westminster’s anti-sleaze watchdog found the Tory guilty of pocketing £100,000 for lobbying ministers on behalf of two companies – a clear breach of the rules.
If Mr Paterson belonged to any other trade or profession, he would almost certainly be looking for a new line of work.
Yet his parliamentary pals are striving to overturn the sanction, dubiously claiming he was convicted by a kangaroo court.
If they succeed, it will be a slap in the face for democracy. Mr Paterson says the inquiry contributed to his wife’s suicide. we sympathise, but he must face the music.
The expenses scandal exposed the greed and arrogance of our political class. Afterwards, they begged voters for forgiveness and promised to change.
Closing ranks today would not only prove they remain cliquish, self-interested and disreputable – but also their flagrant and shameful contempt for the public.