News that Conservative MPs are attempting to bend the rules to save a colleague found guilty of breaching lobbying rules has provoked outrage on social media.
North Shropshire Tory MP Owen Paterson was found to have committed an “egregious” breach of standards rules after he lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.
According to Adam Bienkov the politician took nearly three times his MP salary for ‘paid advocacy’.
He also smeared the commissioner investigating him, Beinkov said.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone recommended he be banned from the Commons for six weeks, which represents 30 sitting days.
But amendments tabled ahead of a planned vote on the case on Wednesday looked to delay or completely quash any sanctions, as The Telegraph reported Tory MPs and ministers will be told by Government whips to back attempts to reform the standards procedures.
One amendment put forward by former leader of the Commons Dame Andrea Leadsom would see the creation of a new committee that would examine – among other issues – whether the case against Mr Paterson should be reviewed.
A separate amendment proposed by New Forest East MP Dr Julian Lewis said no further action should be taken “on compassionate grounds” and this has been supported by fellow Conservatives William Wragg and Peter Bone, with a total of 13 MPs backing it as of Tuesday evening.
That is now up to 59 at the last count, with Karl McCartney adding his name to the list – unsurprisingly, given that he was recently found to have broken the rules three times.
Needless to say, the reactions on social media have been pretty fierce.
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