The Government have been forced into a humiliating climbdown over a decision not to suspend “egregious” lobbyist, Tory MP Owen Paterson.
Following 24 hours of public backlash, the Government have abandoned plans to create a Tory-dominated standards Committee.
Speaking in the Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted the plans did not have cross-party support, and he would seek to work with opposition parties to implement changes to the system.
The move could mean Owen Paterson is suspended from Parliament in the next few days, with a new vote expected before recess.
If an MP is suspended for more than 10 sitting days by a Parliamentary committee, this can automatically trigger a recall petition, which in turn, could lead to a by-election.
This means Paterson could lose his seat.
Last night, speaking on Sky News, “egregious” lobbyist Paterson denied any wrongdoing announcing and said he “wouldn’t hesitate” to do it again “tomorrow”.
Paterson also admitted that he continues to work with the two firms he was found to have lobbied on behalf of.
Hours before backtracking, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng defended the vote on several breakfast shows, telling Sky News he “doesn’t feel shame at all”.
Kwarteng also suggested the MPs’ standards commissioner, Kathryn Stone, should consider quitting to make way for the Tories’ new ethics process.
It was expected Stone would resign last night. She didn’t.
The screeching U-turn follows 24-hours of public outrage, with many accusing the government of “legalising corruption”.
Tory MP Peter Bone has said his office was vandalised following the vote.
First-time Tory MP Angela Richardson, who was sacked last night as a Parliamentary aide for rebelling against the Leadsome amendment, has tweeted her position has been reinstated.
Richardson was reappointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Gove 16 hours after losing her job.
https://twitter.com/AJRichardsonMP/status/1456223903949393927?s=20
Former Chair of the COVID recovery group, Conservative backbencher Mark Harper, said “this is one of the most unedifying episodes I have seen in my 16 years as a Member of Parliament
“My colleagues should not have been instructed, from the very top, to vote for this”.
He concluded: “This must not happen again”.
This is one of the most unedifying episodes I have seen in my 16 years as a Member of Parliament.
My colleagues should not have been instructed, from the very top, to vote for this.
This must not happen again. https://t.co/8a1kXGcHwA
— Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) November 4, 2021
The U-turn was announced by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Speaking on Thursday morning in the Commons, Mogg announced a monumental climbdown, expressing regret a new standards committee would need cross-party support.
He said: “The change would need to be on a cross-party basis and that is clearly not the case.
“While there is a very strong feeling on both sides of the house that there is a need for an appeals process there is equally a strong feeling that this should not be based on a single case or applied retrospectively.
“I fear last night’s debate conflated the individual case with the general concern. This link needs to be broken”.
Boris Johnson’s retreat will not be received well by faithful backbench Tory MPs, who were under strict instruction from the Whip to vote to ditch the old system.
Many Tory MPs have been accused of voting to legalise corruption. Their reputations could be tarnished by the vote.
In a now deleted tweet, Conservative Lucy Allan described dissenters as people who “care more about party politics than justice and empathy for others”.
Allan deleted the tweet this morning.
Boris Johnson’s government have faced heavy criticism from ethics advisors.
Lord Jonathan Evans, chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and a former head of the domestic security service MI5, described the vote as “a very serious and damaging moment for parliament and for public standards in this country”.
Similarly, speaking on BBC Radio 4, chair of the Commons standards committee Chris Bryant said “That is not what we do in this country, it’s what they do in Russia when a friend or a foe is suddenly under the cosh in the courts”, describing the move as a “perversion of justice”.
Prior to the vote, Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner accused the government of “wallowing in sleaze”.
Today, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer has accused the Prime Minister of “leading his troops through the sewer” describing the last 24 hours as “corruption from the very top”.
Starmer has challenged the government to hold the vote on Paterson’s suspension on Monday.
