Good morning. It is almost 30 years since the cash for questions scandal, which revealed how MPs were using their status as parliamentarians for personal gain. It led to the creation of the committee on standards in public life and a major overhaul of the rules governing what MPs are and are not allowed to do. Over the last three decades the system has been criticised, and amended, but by and large it has survived with cross-party support. But today Boris Johnson and the Conservatives seem ready to blow that consensus apart by voting for an overhaul of the system that would protect Owen Paterson, the Tory former cabinet minister, from a 30-day suspension for breaking lobbying rules.
The cross-party Commons standards committee recommended the punishment, on the basis of the findings of an investigation from Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards. Since the end of the second world war, disciplinary recommendations from this committee or its predecessors have almost always been accepted by the Commons as a whole, normally without a vote. For a standards committee finding to be rejected as comprehensively as is being proposed today is thought to be unprecedented.
Here is my colleague Aubrey Allegretti’s preview story.
It is not at all clear yet, though, how today will pan out. It is up to the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, to decide whether he will allow a vote on the Tory amendment, tabled by Andrea Leadsom, essentially rejecting the Paterson findings, and it has been reported that Hoyle believes that, if MPs were to reject the standards committee report, that would do “real reputational damage” to the Commons.
If Hoyle does not allow a vote on the amendment, Paterson’s supporters could simply try to vote down the proposed suspension. But that would look even worse, because they would be voting to protect him without launching a review of the case. The proposed suspension could end up being approved after a division showing MPs split, probably largely along party lines. This would be damaging too, because it would show the process in place for policing the conduct of MPs no longer commanding widespread cross-party support.
Labour has accused the government of wanting a return to “the worst of the 1990s Tory sleaze culture”. Last night, after it was reported that Johnson wants Tory MPs to back the Leadsom amendment, Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow leader of the Commons, said:
It is shocking that government ministers are being encouraged to vote for a return to the worst of the 1990s Tory sleaze culture. A vote for this amendment would turn the clock back to the era of Neil Hamilton, cash for questions and no independent standards process.
Let’s not forget that the cross-party standards committee, including three Tory MPs, endorsed the commissioner’s 30 day sanction for a breach of the rule around paid advocacy.
On Monday the government failed to endorse the anti-sleaze report from Lord Evans of Weardale. Now the Tories want to jettison the systems that has served us well and which has been a vital part of rebuilding public trust after the dark days of Tory sleaze this government seems determined to return to.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9am: Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, holds a press conference at Cop26. For full coverage, do read out Cop26 live blog.
10am: Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, gives evidence to the Commons education committee.
12pm: Boris Johnson faces Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, at PMQs. Sir Keir Starmer is still isolating because he tested positive for Covid.
After 12.30pm: Johnson makes a Commons statement on Cop26.
After 1.30pm: MPs begin the debate on the standards committee report about Owen Paterson. The voting will come 90 minutes later.
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