THIS week the Conservative government in Westminster voted to try to get one of their number off the hook. The independent Parliamentary Standards Commissioner said breaches by Conservative MP Owen Paterson “were so serious and so numerous” that they risked trust in public office and recommended that he be suspended from parliament for six weeks.
READ MORE: Owen Paterson resigns after Boris Johnson U-turn - full statement
nstead of accepting the result, the Westminster government tried to change the rules to get him off the hook. They only backed down because of a huge public outcry. This sorry affair has shown what the Conservatives are willing to do if they think they can get away with it.
Some honourable Conservative MPs voted against the government, a brave thing to do in the face of Boris Johnson and his cabal. I note that my local MP Mr David Mundell did not have the courage to do so. I note that Owen Paterson has now resigned as an MP. I wonder if Mr Mundell still considers he was right in voting to protect him from the consequences of his actions?
David Howdle
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