Ministers may support Conservative bid to prevent Tory MP’s lobbying suspension

Ministers might back an attempt by Tory MPs to stop a colleague being suspended from the House of Commons after he was found to have committed an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules.

John Glen, a Treasury minister, did not rule out the Government supporting a move on Wednesday afternoon to save Owen Paterson from immediate suspension and overhaul the system as he raised concerns that there must be “fair and due process” before disciplinary action.

The Commons will vote on whether to approve a six-week ban from Parliament for the North Shropshire MP after an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found he repeatedly lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.

But Conservative MPs outraged by the decision are attempting to block the suspension recommended by the Commons Standards Committee in what would be an unprecedented move in the post-war era.

An amendment to the motion to suspend Mr Paterson put forward by former Commons leader Dame Andrea Leadsom would see the creation of a new committee that would examine whether the case against the Conservative should be reviewed.

Amid reports the Tories will be whipped to back that amendment which is supported by dozens of Conservative MPs, if it is selected by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Mr Glen declined to dismiss suggestions the Government would back the move.

The economic secretary to the Treasury told Sky News: “I’m aware of concerns around the process of the procedure committee and the investigation that led to the recommendation but this will be a matter that my colleagues in Parliament will be looking at today and the amendment will be discussed in due course in Parliament.

“I think most people would agree that when there’s a dispute over someone’s conduct there’s got to be fair and due process before an outcome and a determination of the consequences is made.”

Bernard Jenkin, a senior Tory MP backing the bid, admitted the move “looks terrible” but insisted there is “no alternative”.

“This looks terrible, we’ve had a bad system for years and years and years. I just see this as an opportunity to fix it,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“We’re not letting Owen Paterson off, we’re not exonerating him, we’re not condoning him, we’re going to put his case in front of a proper judicial-style panel where there can be a proper hearing and proper cross-examination of witnesses and natural justice.”

Asked if the Government will whip MPs to vote for the amendment, he said: “I have had various discussions with ministers, nothing has been decided.”

A separate amendment proposed by Tory MP Julian Lewis calling for no further action to be taken “on compassionate grounds” has been supported by 13 fellow Conservatives while the Leadsom amendment has been backed by 58 other Tories.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone recommended Mr Paterson should be banned from the Commons for 30 sitting days.

Ms Stone’s investigation found Mr Paterson repeatedly lobbied on behalf of two companies for which he was acting as a paid consultant – Randox and Lynn’s Country Foods.

Mr Paterson has angrily disputed her findings, claiming the investigation was unfairly conducted, and argued the manner in which the investigation was carried out had “undoubtedly” played a “major role” in the decision of his wife Rose to take her own life last year.

On Tuesday, Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg 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”.

Under Dame Andrea’s proposals, MPs on a Conservative-majority committee led by former culture secretary John Whittingdale would examine whether the standards system should mirror that of investigations of misconduct in other workplaces, including the right of representation, the examination of witnesses, and the right of appeal.

It would also look into whether Mr Paterson’s case specifically should be reviewed.

But Labour warned against turning “the clock back to the era of Neil Hamilton, cash for questions and no independent standards process”.

Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire said that “the Tories want to jettison the system that has served us well and which has been a vital part of rebuilding public trust after the dark days of Tory sleaze this Government seems determined to return to”.

Mr Rees-Mogg said there was “precedence” for amending a motion to suspend an MP, saying it was last done in 1947.

But the decision whether to accept any amendment lies with the Commons Speaker.

Sir Lindsay’s spokeswoman did not deny a report in The Times that suggested he believes overturning the suspension would bring the House into disrepute.

Committee on Standards chairman Chris Bryant urged MPs to “read the report in full, with a fair and open mind” and warned against voting it down in what would be an unprecedented move.

“This was a unanimous and cross-party report. No standards committee report in our history has been voted down,” he said.

“Voting or watering down the sanction would do serious reputational damage to Parliament and would open politics up to a new scandal of paid lobbying by MPs.”