Owen Paterson: 'What happened to me is wicked and shameful'

Former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson will learn next week whether MPs will suspend him from Parliament for 30 days for breaching Commons rules on lobbying.

Speaking to Nigel Farage on GB News in his first live interview since the threat of suspension appeared, Mr Paterson told viewers the way he had been treated had been wicked and shameful.

He said: "What has happened to me is wicked and shameful...the whole process brings the deepest shame on parliament, we have a chance on Wednesday, not just to vote on my issue in my report, but we have to we absolutely have to bring in measures to bring in a fair system which respect the rules of natural justice."

He was reportedly found by an investigation to have lobbied ministers and officials on behalf of two companies for which he was acting as a paid consultant – Randox, and Lynn’s Country Foods.

The investigation was conducted by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone.

Mr Paterson says he was not lobbying and using an exception rule which allows for a 'serious wrong' to be raised. He stated he had never raised the relevant companies in Parliament, "I've never been involved in any contracts they've negotiated with any government agency."

He believes he will be successful in a pending vote in Parliament "because I think MPs do have a sense of fairness".

Mr Paterson's wife Rose committed suicide in 2020, he told Nigel Farage "we'll never know entirely why, but the pressures and the manner in which this inquiry was conducted, definitely drove Rose to despair."

"We'll never know what triggered that decision to end her life. But it is absolutely clear, the last weekend she had a real go in the kitchen, saying, 'When is this going to end, you do realise they're going to find out something, and then you'll be forced to resign, and I'll have to resign and we'll end our lives in humiliation and misery."

The lengthy investigation, it was claimed by Mr Paterson, could have been "sorted out in a phone call" in October 2019, "it could have been sorted out very quickly...but this has dragged on in a manner which is absolutely shameful."

The Commons Standards Committee said Mr Paterson’s actions were an “egregious” breach of the rules on paid advocacy by MPs and recommended that he should be suspended for 30 sitting days.

But Mr Paterson responded by releasing an angry statement in which he rejected the commissioner’s findings and labelled the process “biased” and “not fair”.

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg told MPs they will consider a motion on the report on November 3, which will decide Mr Paterson’s fate.

Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire said she was “relieved” to see the motion had been scheduled for debate, adding: “If any members have not yet read the report, I’d urge them to keep an open mind and read the report before the motion is debated.”

Mr Rees-Mogg said: “I’d also encourage members to read the report.

“I think that’s always an essential thing to do, it is quite a long report but the weekend is looming and that’d be the opportunity to read it.”