Commons to vote on amendment to stop Tory MP Owen Paterson's lobbying suspension

MPs will vote on an amendment which could stop Tory MP Owen Paterson being suspended from the House of Commons after he was found to have committed an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules.

A spokesman for the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, confirmed an amendment put down by Dame Andrea Leadsom which would seek to review the standards case of Mr Paterson and the wider system had been selected.

The Commons will vote on Wednesday afternoon on whether to approve a six-week ban from Parliament for the North Shropshire MP after an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found he repeatedly lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.

Conservative ministers may support the move to save Mr Paterson from immediate suspension as he raised concerns there must be "fair and due process” before disciplinary action.

But Conservative MPs outraged by the decision are attempting to block the suspension recommended by the Commons Standards Committee in what would be an unprecedented move in the post-war era.

Amid reports that the Tories will be whipped to approve that amendment which is supported by dozens of Conservative MPs, if it is selected by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Mr Glen declined to dismiss suggestions that the Government would back the move.

The economic secretary to the Treasury said he is “aware of concerns around the process of the procedure committee and the investigation that led to the recommendation”. Bernard Jenkin, a senior Tory MP backing the bid, admitted the move “looks terrible” but insisted there is “no alternative”.

He said: “This looks terrible, we’ve had a bad system for years and years and years. I just see this as an opportunity to fix it.

“We’re not letting Owen Paterson off, we’re not exonerating him, we’re not condoning him, we’re going to put his case in front of a proper judicial-style panel where there can be a proper hearing and proper cross-examination of witnesses and natural justice.”

Asked if the Government will whip MPs to vote for the amendment, he said: “I have had various discussions with ministers, nothing has been decided.” Downing Street declined to comment.

More follows.