Boris Johnson is embroiled in a fresh sleaze row after attempts to save a Tory MP from being suspended from the Commons for lobbying spectacularly backfired.
The Government has been branded "corrupt and sleazy" in the wake of the Owen Paterson row, where the Prime Minister ordered Tory MPs to vote to tear up Commons standards rules and block a 30-day suspension for the former Environment Secretary.
Amid a furious outcry Mr Johnson withdrew his backing for Mr Paterson - who was found to misused his position as an MP to lobby for two private firms.
Mr Paterson then announced his resignation as MP for North Shropshire, blaming the "cruel world of politics". He has insisted throughout that he did nothing wrong.
The disastrous episode has triggered recriminations throughout Westminster and sparked a fresh debate over sleaze in public life.
MPs will hold a three hour emergency debate on standards on Monday afternoon - but the PM will dodge answering questions by sending Cabinet Office Minister Steve Barclay instead.
Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain, who secured the debate, said: "A fish rots from the head down, and it’s the same with Boris Johnson 's corrupt and sleazy government.
"If Johnson fails to appear at the emergency debate on sleaze today it'll be a shocking abdication of leadership."
Here are the major sleaze complaints swirling around the Government.
Peerages for wealthy Tory donors
Police have been urged to launch a new "cash for honours" probe after it emerged that eight Tory treasurers, who have donated millions of pounds to the party, had been offered peerages.
An investigation by Open Democracy and the Sunday Times found eight out of nine of the Tory party's main treasurers had been offered seats in the Lords in the past decade.
They include City millionaires Andrew Fraser, James Lupton, Michael Farmer, Stanley Fink and Michael Spencer, who are all now in the Lords.
Peter Cruddas, the billionaire whose peerage was pushed through when Mr Johnson overruled a recommendation of the Lords appointment commission, is also among them.
Sir Mick Davis, a mining tycoon who was Tory treasurer from 2016 to 2019, turned down the offer of a peerage.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by any of the men.
Two Labour Party donors and five Liberal Democrats were given peerages over the same period.
SNP MP Pete Wishart said: "The Tory corruption scandal is growing worse by the day. It's now beyond all doubt that the honours system has been abused by the Tories.
"The Metropolitan Police should launch a fresh cash for honours investigation to determine whether a criminal offence has been committed."
Status: The Met Police has not yet responded on calls for a fresh investigation.
Crony contracts
The Government has faced repeated criticism over the award of coronavirus contracts during the pandemic.
The issue has returned to the spotlight following the Owen Paterson saga, as he was paid to work as an advisor by the firm Randox.
The Department of Health has refused to publish minutes of a call between Mr Paterson and then-health minister Lord Bethell days before the firm was awarded a £133million testing contract - despite lacking some equipment.
According to the Sunday Times, the phone call took place on April 9, a week and a half after the company was awarded the deal.
Randox told the publication: “At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a sudden and urgent global demand for testing equipment and diagnostics support, so the government’s temporary help at that time was vital for all Pillar 2 laboratories in scaling up quickly and efficiently.
“All such equipment has been returned.”
Labour's Angela Rayner said she had written to the Cabinet Secretary to demand details of meetings between ministers and private firms employing Owen Paterson.
Separately, Lord Bethell admitted that he had deleted some Whatsapp messages and text messages about Covid contracts because he wrongly thought they would be backed up.
In a witness statement provided as part of a judicial review brought by the Good Law Project, he said: “I would take steps to clear WhatsApp messages from my phone in order to free up storage space on my phone. I usually did this by deleting the WhatsApp application from my phone and reinstalling it.
"This has the effect of clearing the cache of WhatsApp messages and freeing up storage on the phone.”
Status: The Good Law Project is challenging a series of decisions to award Covid contracts. Separately, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is looking at use of private communications channels at the Department of Health and Social Care.
Parliamentary passes for ex-MPs
Fresh questions have been raised over a system that allows former MPs to still apply for parliamentary passes.
Despite quitting as an MP after the Standards Committee found he had lobbied on behalf of two private companies, Owen Paterson is still entitled to get a pass to roam the corridors of Westminster.
Former parliamentarians can apply for a so-called ‘category X’ pass which gives them continued access to Parliament, including the bars and restaurants.
But they are still barred from lobbying under Commons rules.
Some 280 ex-MPs possess these passes, according to the Daily Mail.
Status: Not currently under consideration.
Second jobs for MPs
MPs are currently allowed to have other jobs alongside their parliamentary duties as long as it is declared in line with the code of conduct.
They are not allowed to act as paid advocates, which includes things like tabling bills and speaking in the Commons to benefit those who pay them.
Owen Paterson fell foul of these rules as he was found to lobbied for two firms - Randox and Lynn's Country Foods - by the independent standards watchdog.
However he claimed his approaches had been whistleblowing. In one instance he said he had been trying to raise the presence of antibiotics in milk, which Randox can test for.
It comes as Tory MP Geoffrey Cox declared he would receive £400,000 per year by top law firm Withers for 41 hours work a month.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan suggested jobs involving lobbying could be looked at but said she would not support a ban on second jobs.
She said: "I think the question of whether MPs having jobs that involve lobbying, I think, perhaps should be looked at again.
"Across the board, I don't think we should have a removal of the ability to maintain or have a second job because it brings a richness to our role as Members of Parliament as well as the work we do day to day with our constituents."
Asked if MPs should be banned from taking second jobs, Mr Johnson said: "All those kind of things are issues that the Speaker's panel - whatever he is going to set up - will have a look at."
Status: This could be considered by the Commons Standards Committee.
The Downing Street flat refurbishment
In a row dubbed "cash for curtains", Boris Johnson faced questions earlier this year over who paid for the luxury revamp of his Downing Street flat.
The Government admitted that the refurbishment of the flat the PM shares with his wife Carrie and their son Wilf had originally been paid for by cash from a Tory donor.
The £58,000 renovation by designer Lulu Lytle was originally funded by Tory donor Lord Brownlow before the PM repaid the costs himself.
Mr Johnson was cleared by of breaking the ministerial code over the scandal by his standards advisor Lord Geidt earlier this year.
Lord Geidt said the PM had acted "unwisely" but stopped short of saying he had broken the rules.
However the Electoral Commission launched a probe into whether the original donation had been properly declared.
Tory party bosses have now been handed findings of a report by the Electoral Commission to allow them time to respond.
Prime Ministers are allowed to spend £30,000 a year of public cash on their Downing Street accommodation.
Status: The Electoral Commission investigation has been handed to the Tories and the results should be published in due course. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards could launch another inquiry.
The PM's Spanish holiday
Boris Johnson has been reported to the standards watchdog after refusing to declare the cost of his Spanish holiday.
The Mirror revealed that the PM had jetted off to stay at a luxury hideaway outside Marbella last month, belonging to Tory peer Zac Goldsmith.
The Prime Minister submitted a formal declaration to the register of minister's interests last week stating that his sunshine getaway was "provided free of charge by the Goldsmiths".
But Mr Johnson is seeking to use a loophole to avoid declaring the cost of the trip in the register of MPs' interests.
The Commons register says MPs do not need to declare holidays or trips that are “wholly unconnected parliamentary or political activities”.
No10 said Lord Goldsmith was a family friend and the PM's holiday to Marbella in October was not linked to his work.
Labour's Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said the refusal to declare the holiday “appears to be a breach of the House Code of Conduct”.
She demanded the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone launch an investigation.
It comes after Mr Johnson got into hot water over his £15,000 freebie break to Mustique, which was facilitated by a Tory donor.
Status: The Standards Commissioner has been asked to look at the row by Labour.
