‘Father of the Commons’ speaks out against Leadsom amendment
The so-called ‘father of the Commons’ Sir Peter Bottomley, has said he will vote against Dame Andrea Leadsom’s amendment to the motion proposing Owen Paterson’s 30-day suspension from the Commons.
Sir Peter, was first elected as the MP for Worthing West in 1997, told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme that, “Most of us know if take money from a business the one thing we cannot do is raise an issue which would be seen to be to their benefit”.
He added that a 90 minute debate was an inadequate mechanism of creating a new system for evaluating parliamentary standards.
The Commons are set to vote this afternoon on the motion proposing former minister Owen Paterson’s recommended six-week ban from Parliament.
An amendment tabled yesterday evening by Dame Andrea Leadsom, which the government’s new statement appears to align with, recommends that “the current standards system should give Members of Parliament the same or similar rights as apply to those subject to investigations of alleged misconduct in other workplaces and professions”, which would entail the “right of representation, examination of witness and appeal”.
It suggests the new committee is made up of four Conservative MPs, three Labour MPs and one SNP MP.
Several opposition MPs have suggested the plans could undermine public confidence in politicians.
Under a 2015 law brought in after the expenses scandal, any MP suspended for 10 plus days can face a petition in which constituents can request that a by-election be held.
The support of ten per cent of electors in Paterson’s North Shropshire seat would be required to prompt an election in the constituency. A similar process led to a by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire in 2019 in which the Conservative Party subsequently lost the seat to the Liberal Democrats.
Mr Paterson had a majority of 22,949 in North Shropshire over Labour in the last 2019 General Election.
The constituency has long been one of the Conservative Party’s safest seats in England.
