Tory MP Owen Paterson to Step Down Amid Lobbying Row

Paterson's decision follows 24 hours of furore in Parliament over a narrowly-won Tory Party-whipped vote to annul his suspension for breaching rules against paid advocacy. But his exit could weaken opposition to the Government's changes to the Standards procedure, also contained in the amendment.

Ruling Conservative Party MP Owen Paterson has announced his resignation a day after his colleagues voted to overrule his suspension for alleged paid lobbying.

"I will remain a public servant but outside the cruel world of politics,” Paterson said on Thursday.

The MP also said his resignation would allow him to grieve for his wife of 40 years Rose, whose suicide last year he has blamed on the probe into his conduct

My statement today: pic.twitter.com/gZocV3WIwS

— Owen Paterson (@OwenPaterson) November 4, 2021

His announcement followed rumours from Government sources that a re-run of Wednesday night's vote would be held, with the expectation that the punishment of a 30-day suspension would be re-imposed.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday morning, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg expressed government's desire to seek consensus from opposition parties on reforms to the Parliamentary standards process.

An amendment tabled by Conservative backbencher Dame Andrea Leadsom passed by a narrow majority of 250 to 232 on Wednesday afternoon, with 35 Tory MPs abstaining and 13 defying the whip to vote against it.

The amendment not only lifted the 30-day suspension imposed by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone, but also mandated replacing the mixed committee of laypeople and Parliamentarians she heads with one of nine MPs — five of which will be from the ruling party.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government had faced vehement criticism from not just the opposition Labour, Liberal Democrat and Scottish Nationalist parties but many of their own backbenchers over the "corrupt" and a "colossal misjudgment" over the move.

But now Paterson's resignation may 'shoot the fox' of and strengthen Downing Street's case for its replacement of the sleaze watchdog.

British MPs cannot technically resign their seats, but Paterson's decision to quit will begin a ceremonial process to remove him and call a by-election in his North Shropshire constituency.

Paterson was accused in a September 1999 story in The Guardian of raising the issue of carcinogenic additives in milk and ham in Parliament on behalf of two firms which paid him as a consultant.

He has accused Stone of pre-judging his case and ignoring a raft of written statements in his defence.