Owen Paterson, Sleaze, Corruption and Another U-turn by Johnson

Nov 6, 2021 • Boris Johnson's attempt to reform and replace the Parliamentary Commission for Standards by whipping his MPs to vote against the Commissioner's recommended 30-day suspension of MP Owen Paterson for 'egregious breaches of lobbying rules' proved to be a further massive misjudgement. Yet another public backlash resulted in a total U-turn only 24 hours later leaving those including Kwasi Karteng and Andrea Leadsome, who had backed the prime minister's proposals less than 24 hours earlier, looking foolish. In a pitiful attempt to gain sympathy, Paterson claimed that the worry of the investigation had contributed to his wife's suicide. This is yet further evidence of sleaze and corruption in the Tory party.