MPs have voted for a Government-backed bid to consider an overhaul of their disciplinary process and prevent the immediate suspension of a Conservative 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 Mr 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, a senior Conservative MP told the PA news agency.
There were shouts of “shame” from the oppositions MPs as the House voted 250 to 232, majority 18, to approve the amendment.
Paterson, reacting to the decision said: “After two years of hell, I now have the opportunity to clear my name. I am extremely grateful to the PM, the Leader of the House and my colleagues for ensuring that fundamental changes will be made to internal parliamentary systems of justice. I hope that no other MP will ever again be subject to this shockingly inadequate process.”
