UK Parliament Votes To Halt Suspension Of Conservative Ex-Minister Over Paid Lobbying

The UK Parliament voted Wednesday to halt the suspension of a former Conservative minister who was found in breach of House rules prohibiting paid advocacy, with lawmakers arguing instead to review the investigative process

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2021) The UK Parliament voted Wednesday to halt the suspension of a former Conservative minister who was found in breach of House rules prohibiting paid advocacy, with lawmakers arguing instead to review the investigative process.

The Committee on Standards recommended last month that Owen Paterson, a former minister for Northern Ireland, be suspended for 30 days on the grounds of lobbying illegally for two firms, for which he was a paid consultant. The ruling Conservative party insisted that the probe itself was flawed.

The House of Commons voted 250 to 232 not to suspend Paterson and backed a motion to examine the current standards system. All Labour, Lib Dem and Scottish National Party lawmakers, as well as a handful of Tory rebels, voted against the motion.

Richard Burgon, a Labour lawmaker and former shadow secretary for justice, decried Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government as "the most corrupt" in modern history. The vote against Paterson's suspension was met with cries of "shame" from the opposition.