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Daily Record
Politics
Peter Davidson

Boris Johnson performs U-turn on sleaze rules for MPs after Owen Paterson scandal

Boris Johnson has scrapped controversial plans to overhaul the disciplinary process for MPs and review a senior Tory's alleged breach of lobbying rules after widespread outrage.

In the Commons yesterday the Prime Minster ordered Tory MPs to vote to block Owen Paterson' s suspension from the house for lobbying on behalf of two firms.

He then pledged to create a new Tory -led panel to review the former minsters case.

The SNP, Labour and the Lib Dems said they would boycott any new committee created.

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said he would seek "cross-party" changes to the system after Labour and other opposition parties refused to take part in a "corrupt committee".

And he suggested any changes may not "apply retrospectively" after the Government came under intense criticism for blocking Owen Paterson's immediate suspension.

Owen Paterson was slammed by a Commons committee (PA)

Rees-Mogg's announcement to MPs came as an ethics adviser to the Prime Minister described Wednesday's votes as a "very serious and damaging moment for Parliament".

Lord Evans, the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said plans for a Tory-led review into the disciplinary process for MPs as being "deeply at odds with the best traditions of British democracy".

The Commons Leader recognised that standards must be reformed on a cross-party basis as he acknowledged "that is clearly not the case" with the Government's proposals.

"While there is a very strong feeling on both sides of the House that there is a need for an appeals process, there is equally a strong feeling that this should not be based on a single case or apply retrospectively," Rees-Mogg said.

"I fear last night's debate conflated an individual case with the general concern. This link needs to be broken.

"Therefore I and others will be looking to work on a cross-party basis to achieve improvements in our system for future cases. We will bring forward more detailed proposals once there have been cross-party discussions."

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