In October 2021 Owen Paterson, former Conservative MP for North Shropshire was found guilty of breaking advocacy rules in parliament, with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards ruling that he had “egregiously breached” lobbying restrictions on numerous occasions for two companies. Paterson had taken thousands for pounds from healthcare company Randox and Northern Irish food manufacturer Lynn’s Country Foods for lobbying work while he was a Member of Parliament using his position, contacts and time as a government minister to lobby for these private firms. For this Paterson was due to be suspended for only 30 days, however Boris Johnson issued a three-line whip and forced the conservative majority to back an emergency amendment to delay Paterson’s suspension, and completely replace the Parliamentary Commission for Standards with a Select Committee compromised mainly of Conservative MPs. Following a massive public and media outcry Paterson resigned, but this alarming attempt to double down on cronyism/corruption was clearly a moral red line for the overwhelming majority. Does the House of Commons need tighter regulations surrounding minister’s second jobs and/or lobbying work?
