Paterson takes Government to European court

FORMER Tory Cabinet minister and Defra Secretary Owen Paterson is taking the Government to the European Court of Human Rights over a ruling by Parliament’s standards watchdog that he broke lobbying rules.

The ardent Eurosceptic, who resigned from Parliament last year after an investigation found he had broken lobbying rules, is arguing that his right to privacy was breached. The court said in a summary of the case: “The applicant complains that his Article 8 rights were infringed, as the public finding that he had breached the Code of Conduct damaged his good reputation, and that the process by which the allegations against him were investigated and considered was not fair in many basic respects.”

Legal commentator Joshua Rozenberg tweeted that the case has been “communicated” to the Government by the court, giving the Government a chance to respond.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, last year found the then-Conservative MP for North Shropshire breached the Commons code of conduct by lobbying ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.

The Commons Standards Committee said his actions were an “egregious” breach of rules on paid advocacy by MPs and recommended he be suspended for 30 days. In November 2021, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to change the rules to prevent his suspension, but was forced into a U-turn after an outcry.