Markus Andrews

A British boat held by the French for alleged illegal fishing arrived back in England just as crunch talks to end the escalating licensing crisis were set to begin in Paris.The Cornelis Gert Jan steamed into Shoreham, West Sussex, early on Thursday morning following a week on the quay in the Normandy port of Le Havre.But – despite being allowed to return home without paying a £125,000 bail bond – skipper Jondy Ward still faces criminal trial back in France in August.This will be one of the key issues discussed by Brexit Minister Lord Frost when he arrives in Paris today, when he will call for an end to French threats “once and for all”.He is due to meet the outspoken French Europe Minister Clement Beaune who said last week as the fishing row exploded that France needed “to speak the language of force” because “it is the only thing this [British] government understands”.Such aggressive rhetoric has included threats by the French to wreak havoc on cross-Channel trade and even to shut down power supplies to the Channel Islands.French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called off plans to block British trawlers from offloading catches in French ports and to introduce new checks on lorries arriving in the country. This came after authorities in Jersey offered to speed up approval for fishing vessels in its waters, in an attempt to defuse the post-Brexit crisis.However, President Macron’s spokesman Gabriel Attal has now warned that sanctions will still go ahead unless Lord Frost offers significant concessions.“All options are on the table,” said Mr Attal. “We may need to implement those measures if we do not reach an agreement.”Under the Brexit trade deal, French vessels are able to fish in the area between six and 12 miles from the UK’s shores until 2026 if they can prove they had previously been operating in those waters.But some boats have had their applications for permits refused because, it is claimed, they have not provided sufficient documentation.Downing Street has insisted it was not looking at weakening the evidence requirements for granting licences as part of attempts to negotiate a solution to the dispute.The Scottish-registered scallop dredger Cornelis Gert Jan docked at Shoreham, near Brighton, at 4.46am on Thursday.Its owners, Macduff Shellfish, have accused the French of using the vessel as a ‘pawn’ in the escalating dispute.Extreme threats suggested by the French have included cutting off electricity to the Channel Islands.Power is supplied to Jersey and Guernsey by undersea cables from Normandy, meaning that it can be switched off almost instantly. More

Boris Johnson’s move to overhaul MPs’ disciplinary processes and block Conservative MP Owen Paterson’s suspension has been condemned as a “very serious and damaging moment” for parliament and public standards in Britain.Lords Evans, the former head of Mi5 and chair of the committee on standards in public life, an independent body which advises the prime minister, hit out at the proposal to create a Tory-dominated committee to investigate sleaze.It comes after the government secured an 18-vote majority to prevent Mr Paterson’s 30-day suspension — for breaching parliament’s code of conduct — and create a new body to dictate changes to the way standards allegations are investigated.“This extraordinary proposal is deeply at odds with the best traditions with the best traditions of British democracy,” Lord Evans said during a keynote speech at the Institute for Government (IfG) on Thursday.In scathing remarks, he said the vote was a “very serious and damaging moment for parliament and for public standards in this country”.“It cannot be right that MPs should reject after one short debate the conclusions of the independent commissioner for standards and the House of Commons committee on standards — conclusions from an investigation last two years.“It cannot be right to propose an overhaul of the entire regulatory system in order to postpone or prevent sanctions in a very serious case of paid lobbying by an MP.He went on: “It cannot be right this was accompanied by repeated attempts to question the integrity for commissioner on standards herself.“It cannot be right to propose that the standards system in the House of Commons should be reviewed a select committee chaired by a member of the ruling party and a majority of members of that same party.“The seven principles of public life that all governments have espoused for over 25 years require that ministers and MPs should show leadership in upholding ethical standards in public life. I find it hard to see how yesterday’s actions in any way meet that test.”During the vote last night, more than 100 Tories did not vote and 13 defied a three-line whip to oppose the move, including Nigel Mills, who told The Independent it was “a dark day for integrity in our political system”.The Conservative MP Angela Richardson was sacked as a parliamentary private secretary to the cabinet minister Michael Gove after she abstained.Opposition parties, including the SNP and Labour, have already vowed not to engage with the committee they labelled a “kangaroo court”, while Sir Keir Starmer branded the Tory actions as “corruption”.During his speech, Lord Evans added the new committee approved by Tory MPs would be an “extraordinarily inappropriate way to look at standards matters”.Asked whether it was reasonable for opposition parties to boycott the committee, which it is proposed would be chaired by former culture secretary John Whittingdale, Lord Evans said: “I think having a committee which is led by a member of the government party, and which has a majority from one party, is a deeply flawed way of addressing standards issues.“So I’m not surprised if other parties are not wishing to take part in what would seem to me to be an extraordinarily inappropriate way to look at standards matters.”Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, stoked further outrage by suggesting independent standards commissioner Kathryn Stone should resign after finding Mr Paterson repeatedly lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.The business secretary told Sky News: “It’s difficult to see what the future of the commissioner is, given the fact that we’re reviewing the process, that we’re overturning and trying to reform this whole process.”Mr Kwarteng said it was “natural” for Ms Stone to review whether she should continue. “It’s up to the commissioner to decide her position … To consider her position is a natural thing. I’m not saying she should resign.”Labour’s shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire responded: “Having already ripped up the rules policing MP’s behaviour to protect one of their own, it is appalling that this corrupt government is now trying to bully the standards commissioner out of her job.” More

Conservative MP Owen Paterson has called on the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to quit after his party saved him from suspension over the watchdog’s ruling that he broke lobbying rules.Boris Johnson’s government has been accused of “corruption” after protecting Mr Paterson from a 30-day suspension and establish a new, Tory-led committee to review the standards system.The unrepentant MP at the centre of the sleaze row said he “wouldn’t hesitate” to act in the same manner again and that he continues to work with private companies as a paid adviser.Mr Paterson also said it was time for commissioner Kathryn Stone and members of the standards committee to resign. “Sadly they have not done a good job and come up with a rotten report which is full of inaccuracies … [they] all have to go,” he told The Telegraph.But the existing standards committee was quick to confirm that it will continue its work, and Ms Stone’s office told The Independent that she intends to remain in post until the end of her term in December 2022.Cabinet minister Kwasi Kwarteng appeared to back Mr Paterson’s call for Ms Stone to “consider her position” on Wednesday – making it clear the government planned to “overhaul” the standards system.The business secretary told Sky News: “It’s difficult to see what the future of the commissioner is, given the fact that we’re reviewing the process, that we’re overturning and trying to reform this whole process.”The minister said it was “natural” for Ms Stone to review whether she should continue. “It’s up to the commissioner to decide her position … To consider her position is a natural thing. I’m not saying she should resign.”Challenged on why the government wanted to change the system on the very same day a Tory MP was facing punishment, Mr Kwarteng claimed the government had wanted to bring in reforms for “years”.The minister said: “We’ve been talking about this for years. We’ve been talking about holding MPs to account, having the highest standards in public life, ways in which we can improve those standards.”Dozens of Tories abstained and 13 rebelled after being told to vote instead for an amendment to establish a new, Conservative-led, committee to reconsider both Mr Paterson’s case and whether a new standards system is needed.But the plan to establish the new committee, to be led by former Tory minister John Whittingdale, was thrown into chaos as Labour, the SNP and Liberal Democrats vowed to boycott it – depriving the panel of any real cross-party authority.Anti-corruption campaigners, government experts and unions have also condemned the government’s actions, with the Tories being accused of “wallowing in sleaze” by Labour.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the government’s audacious move was “corruption”, adding: “There is no other word for it.”The row was triggered when Ms Stone’s investigation found he had repeatedly lobbied on behalf of two companies for which he was acting as a paid consultant, Randox and Lynn’s Country Foods.Mr Paterson claimed the investigation was unfairly conducted and argued the manner in which it was carried out had played a “major role” in his wife Rose’s suicide last year.Labour MP Chris Bryant, chair of the standards committee, insisted its work would continue. “Nobody’s abolished the standards committee – it still exists,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.Mr Bryant said: “Some people yesterday decided – and this is the definition of injustice – that at the very last minute, for a named individual, they would change the rules. That is not what we do in this country.He added: “It’s what they do in Russia when a friend or a foe is suddenly under the cosh in the courts. It’s a perversion of justice.”On the plan for a new committee, the influential MP said: “We never set up a committee without cross-party agreement. How could you possibly change the rules without cross-party agreement? … The government has created a rod for its own back here. This will not end well.” More

Campaigners for press freedom are fighting back against government attempts to crack down on reporting of official information.They are calling for an end to efforts to stifle journalism through “draconian” proposals in the Official Secrets Act and attempts to weaken Freedom of Information laws.The government plans to make it easier under the Official Secrets Act to convict whistleblowers and journalists who publish information in the public interest without authority.And anyone convicted could be jailed for up to 14 years, instead of two, as now.In July, the Home Office revealed proposals to reform the Official Secrets Act 1989 to make convictions easier of people who disclose information without authority.The amendment would also ramp up prison sentences for disclosures about the security services, defence, international relations and law enforcement.At the same time, ministers intend making two new UK organisations exempt from Freedom of Information (FoI) laws, which allow anyone to request information held on file by a public body.They are the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, which will spend £800m of public money funding high-risk research, and the proposed new Heath Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), which will look at anything going wrong in healthcare that may have implications for patient safety.The proposals come against a backdrop of claims of rising secrecy. A report by media organisation openDemocracy last week found that 2020 was the worst on record for Freedom of Information Act transparency, with government departments “stonewalling” and “exploiting loopholes to delay access to information”.Maurice Frankel, director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, warned: “Incredibly, a whistleblower who reveals that the new body [the HSSIB] has, say, failed to contact key witnesses to a medical accident will commit a criminal offence.”The public will have better rights to information from parish councils than from the new inventions agency, he said.Recent FoI disclosures in the public interest have revealed the lack of preparation for the pandemic, Covid contracts that went to ministers’ contacts, the dangers of smart motorways and the release of untreated sewage into waterways.“The FoI Act has repeatedly come under attack from government which finds the openness uncomfortable,” Mr Frankel said.He also hit out at the proposed changes to the Official Secrets Act, saying: “Astonishingly, the Home Office says the maximum for leaking should be the same as for espionage – 14 years in prison.“Threatening people who reveal government misconduct with oppressive penalties will ensure that improper behaviour continues.”The government looks set to reject Law Commission advice that anyone charged be able to argue that disclosure was in the public interest.Online media and newspapers are backing the Journalism Matters campaign this week that aims to fight back against threats to press freedom.The UK ranks only 33rd out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index.Rebecca Vincent, director of international campaigns for Reporters Without Borders, said: “Publishing stories based on leaked information is a standard journalistic practice, and is part and parcel of the work of media organisations around the world.“However, recent years have seen increasing moves by governments to make every step of this process much more difficult – for sources, journalists and publishers alike.”Independent journalism has come under unprecedented attack around the world in recent years, she said, warning the global climate for press freedom was eroding.Internationally, more than 450 journalists are imprisoned, and more than 1,000 journalists have been killed because of their work in a decade.The Independent has asked the government to respond. More

Tory MP and former minister Owen Paterson has insisted that he will “clear his name” following “two years of hell” after he was found to have breached standards.It was ruled that he had breached parliament’s code of conduct for accepting more than £100,000 a year in total from two companies – clinical diagnostics company Randox and meat processor and distributor Lynn’s Country Foods.He was found to have breached rules on lobbying on behalf of Randox by making three approaches to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) about the testing of antibiotics in milk in 2016 and 2017.Following a two-year investigation, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards said Mr Paterson had breached the rule prohibiting paid advocacy by making multiple approaches to government departments and ministers for the two companies.But Mr Paterson denies the allegations, saying he was raising very serious issues about food contamination.He accused the commissioner, Kathryn Stone, of admitting to him she “made up her mind” before the allegations were put to him and that none of his 17 witnesses were interviewed.In an interview with Sky News, he said that he “wouldn’t hesitate” to act in the same manner “tomorrow” and that he continues to work with the two firms.The MP has claimed that he had been subject to a “shockingly inadequate” process and said that the stress of the investigation had “undoubtedly played a major” role in his wife Rose taking her life last year.It comes after PM Boris Johnson secured a majority of 18 in a House of Commons vote on an amendment on Wednesday to prevent Mr Paterson from being suspended for 30 days.The amendment tabled by Tory MP Dame Andrea Leadsom also called for the formation of a new Tory-dominated committee to examine the standards system and dictate how the case against Mr Paterson is investigated.The move resulted in more than 100 Conservative MPs refusing to vote on the PM’s attempt to counteract parliament’s sleaze watchdog, and 13 of them defied a three-line whip in order to vote against it.Nigel Mills, one of the MPs that defied the whip, had told The Independent it was “a dark day for integrity in our political system”.Following the Commons vote, Mr Paterson said: “The process I was subjected to did not comply with natural justice. No proper investigation was undertaken by the commissioner or committee.“The Standards Commissioner has admitted making up her mind before speaking to me or any witnesses.“All I have ever asked is to have the opportunity to make my case through a fair process. The decision today in Parliament means that I will now have that opportunity.“After two years of hell, I now have the opportunity to clear my name.“I am extremely grateful to the PM, the Leader of the House and my colleagues for ensuring that fundamental changes will be made to internal parliamentary systems of justice.“I hope that no other MP will ever again be subject to this shockingly inadequate process.”The leader of the opposition, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, accused the government of corruption – adding “there is no other word for it.”Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner tweeted: “Today the Tories voted to give a green light to corruption.“Labour will not be taking any part in this sham process or any corrupt committee.“The Prime Minister, Conservative Ministers and MPs have brought shame on our democracy.”Standards Committee chair, Labour MP Chris Bryant, has said that Mr Paterson had “brought the House into disrepute”. The Tory MP’s name now risks becoming “a byword for bad behaviour,” he added.Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the government’s decision to back Dame Andrea’s amendment was to ensure “due process” in standards cases, and insisted that the move was not about whether Mr Paterson was in the right or wrong.“What happened was that Owen was sanctioned and there was no right of appeal. What Andrea Leadsom’s amendment was trying to do was essentially give some right of appeal in the process,” he told ITV’s Peston. More

The EU has flat-out rejected a British demand to end any role for European court judges in Northern Ireland. Speaking on Wednesday evening the European Commission’s vice president Frans Timmermans said it was “extremely well-known in London” that the demand to ditch the European Court of Justice could not be met.UK Brexit minister Lord Frost has said the ECJ should be replaced with an independent arbitration panel and that it can have no role settling disputes in Northern Ireland.But the EU says this is not possible while Northern Ireland is benefitting from being inside the single market. Under the European Union’s founding treaties only the ECJ can interpret EU law.“I think [Lord] Frost knows very well that this is not possible for the European Union,” Mr Timmermans told ITV’s Peston programme. “I know he knows full well that whenever the internal market is involved, the ultimate arbitrator is the European Court of Justice.“This is, I think, extremely well-known in London and instead of talking about red lines, I think it would be more productive to talk about the ideas the European Union came up with.”The EU chief’s statement is the most explicit yet on the issue of the court, which the bloc has until this point done its best to step around in public. The UK signed up to the ECJ’s jurisdiction for Northern Ireland when it agreed the protocol two years ago and has only recently started to claim it needs to be scrapped.Both sides are currently locked in talks to change aspects of the controversial protocol, which has been blamed by unionists, the UK government and others for disrupting trade across the Irish Sea.The EU last month produced a package of measures to reduce trade checks and form-filling between Northern Ireland and Great Britain – but the UK says it does not go far enough, and has also brought up the largely separate issue of the court. The EU says Northern Irish business leaders do not mention the court as an issue.Mr Timmermans said the EU’s ideas were “welcomed in Northern Ireland” and would “make things more practicable and easier to deal with”.“I think those ideas which are meant to make life easier on the business community in Northern Ireland, especially on the citizens on the island of Ireland, should be embraced by the British government, rather than talking about red lines,” he said. Mr Timmermans also said that a solution was “within reach” – though the UK has threatened to trigger Article 16 of the protocol and effectively suspend it.Asked about the risks of Boris Johnson triggering Article 16 the EU vice president said: “Well you know as Yogi Berra would say, ‘Let’s burn that bridge when we get there.’ Joking aside, let’s hope this doesn’t happen, let’s hope we can find a way out. “I believe the European Union has shown, the European Commission has shown, clear willingness to find a compromise. I think we’ve been bending over backwards to offer a solution to the practicalities that people encountered in Northern Ireland. “Let’s focus on the people and the businesses in Northern Ireland instead of trying to score points off each other on certain issues. Let’s try and solve this. I think a solution is within reach.” More

Angela Rayner accuses Tory party of ‘wallowing in sleaze’Keir Starmer has branded the result of today’s Conservative standards vote “corruption”, saying he is “sick of people skirting around calling” the issue otherwise. “Corruption,” the Labour leader tweeted. “There is no other word for it.”It comes after Tory MPs voted to approve an amendment to rewrite Commons sleaze rules and prevent the immediate suspension of former Tory minister Owen Paterson, who was recently found to have breached a ban on paid lobbying.“Paterson was receiving money from a private company to ask questions on its behalf … [he] should be gone,” Sir Keir said.As soon as the result was announced in the chamber, with the final count coming in at 250 to 232, jeers and cries of “shameful” could be heard.Meanwhile, Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, described the move as a “disgrace”. She also confirmed her party “will not be taking any part in this sham process or any corrupt committee” – referring to a new standards body set up under the changes. SNP and Lib Dem politicians have said they will take the same action. Show latest update

1635926989Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live UK politics coverage. We’ll be bringing you rolling updates from Westminster and beyond throughout the day.Chiara Giordano3 November 2021 08:091635927451Boris Johnson backs bid to overturn Owen Paterson lobbying inquiryBoris Johnson is to back a bid to stop the suspension of a Conservative MP found to have breached Commons lobbying rules.North Shropshire Tory MP Owen Paterson could be banned from the Commons for 30 days after he was found to have committed an “egregious” breach of standards rules as he lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.Tory MPs will be instructed by party whips on Wednesday to back an amendment put forward by former leader of the Commons Dame Andrea Leadsom which would see the creation of a new committee that would examine – among other issues – whether the case against Mr Paterson should be reviewed.Read the full background to the story here:Chiara Giordano3 November 2021 08:171635927763PM suffers heavy defeat over pension triple lockBoris Johnson’s government has suffered a heavy defeat in the House of Lords over his plans to restrict increases in the state pension.Peers by 280 votes to 178 backed a cross-party motion to keep retirement payouts linked to earnings – a large majority of 102.More on this below:Chiara Giordano3 November 2021 08:221635928243Jacob Rees-Mogg comes to Owen Paterson’s defenceJacob Rees-Mogg has come to the defence of Tory MP Owen Paterson, who was caught “repeatedly” using his position “to promote the companies by whom he was paid”.Speaking on his regular podcast Mr Rees-Mogg, who is leader of the Commons, raised concerns about the investigation into the former Cabinet minister.Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has the full story:Chiara Giordano3 November 2021 08:301635928843Treasury minister does not rule out government support to save Owen PatersonTreasury minister John Glen has not ruled out the government supporting a move aimed at saving Conservative MP Owen Paterson from suspension for an apparent breach of lobbying rules.Asked if the government might support Andrea Leadsom’s amendment, he told Sky News: “I’m aware of concerns around the process of the procedure committee and the investigation that led to the recommendation but this will be a matter that my colleagues in Parliament will be looking at today and the amendment will be discussed in due course in Parliament.”It’s a procedural matter for the House of Commons, that’s what we’re talking about here, over the apparent fairness of the way that investigation was undertaken, that’s the concern that I think colleagues across the House have.”It’s a matter for the House of Commons to respond to that report and it’s also a matter of concern around the procedure leading up to that report making those conclusions. I think most people would agree that when there’s a dispute over someone’s conduct there’s got to be fair and due process before an outcome and a determination of the consequences is made. I think that’s the area the House of Commons, across all parties, will want to look at today.”Chiara Giordano3 November 2021 08:401635929743‘We’re not condoning him’, says Tory MP backing bid to reform Commons disciplinary rulesA senior Tory MP backing the bid to reform the Commons disciplinary rules and possibly spare colleague Owen Paterson from suspension admitted the move “looks terrible” but insisted there is “no alternative”.Bernard Jenkin told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “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 proper hearing and proper cross-examination of witnesses and natural justice.”Chiara Giordano3 November 2021 08:551635930643Government’s attempt to save Tory MP ‘most appalling double standard’, says Lisa NandyThe shadow foreign secretary has described the government’s attempt to save Tory MP Owen Paterson from suspension in the House of Commons as “the most appalling double standard”.Outlining her response to Andrea Leadsom’s amendment, Lisa Nandy told Sky News: “The problem for Owen Paterson, for Andrea Leadsom and for all these Tories and, including now, it appears, the prime minister, who was saying that they don’t want the system to apply, is that it is one rule for everybody else and another rule for them. That’s just simply unacceptable.”She added: “Owen Patterson has had three chances to make his case. Nobody is disputing the fact that he broke the rules and there has to be sanctions for that.”It matters. It matters to trust in politics, it matters to trust in government, and what the government is doing at the moment is undermining that.”Chiara Giordano3 November 2021 09:101635932443Boris Johnson accused of sleaze as No 10 ‘backs bid to save Tory MP from suspension’Boris Johnson is backing a bid to save a leading Conservative MP from an immediate suspension as part of an attempted overhaul in MPs’ standards rules, reports say.Government whips are said to be telling Tory MPs to today vote against imposing a 30-day suspension on Owen Paterson by backing an amendment motion arguing the probe into his behaviour was flawed.My colleague Adam Forrest has more details:Chiara Giordano3 November 2021 09:401635933618Overturning Paterson probe ‘would set terrible precedent’Daniel Bruce, chief executive at Transparency International UK, has warned Conservative MPs not to “overrule the outcome of an independent investigation into the conduct of one of their colleagues”.He added: “This would set a terrible precedent and will only reinforce the perception that politicians play by a different set of rules.“MPs have long drawn the line at elected representatives engaging in paid lobbying, but this requires them to have the stomach to punish rule-breakers – even when they happen to be one of their friends.”Matt Mathers3 November 2021 10:001635933642MPs to vote on bill banning Boris Johnson from ordering schools to shut down againMPs are set to debate whether to ban Boris Johnson’s government from shutting down schools again without parliamentary approval.Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons education select committee, said the closures enforced during the Covid pandemic have “wielded a hammer blow for students’ education and wellbeing”.
My colleague Adam Forrest has more details below: Matt Mathers3 November 2021 10:00 More

A series of senior Conservatives have disowned Boris Johnson’s attempt to neuter parliament’s sleaze watchdog in a move which anti-corruption experts branded “a shocking blow to democracy in the UK”.Mr Johnson secured an 18-vote majority in the Commons to prevent the suspension of a Conservative MP who breached parliament’s code of conduct and create a new Tory-dominated committee to dictate changes to the way standards allegations are investigated.But more than 100 Tories did not vote and 13 defied a three-line whip to oppose the move, including Nigel Mills, who told The Independent it was “a dark day for integrity in our political system”.Sir Keir Starmer branded the Tory actions “corruption” and accused the prime minister of “wallowing in sleaze”. Labour will boycott the “complete and utter sham” process approved by MPs on Wednesday, he said.And with the SNP and Liberal Democrats also saying they will not provide MPs to serve on the new committee chaired by Conservative former minister John Whittingdale, parliamentary experts were urgently looking into whether it will be possible even to constitute the body, as the Commons vote specified that it must include four opposition MPs alongside five Tories.Blasting Johnson as “a prime minister whose name is synonymous with sleaze, dodgy deals and hypocrisy”, Starmer said: “The rot starts at the top. This is the man who allows his ministers to breach with impunity the codes that govern public life; who thinks it should be one rule for him and his chums another for everyone else.”The spectacular development was sparked by the recommendation of the existing Commons Standards Committee of a 30-day suspension for Tory MP Owen Paterson, after an investigation by independent standards commissioner Kathryn Stone found he lobbied government ministers and regulators on 14 occasions on behalf of two private companies which paid him more than £100,000 a year.The MP claimed he had been subject to a “shockingly inadequate” process and said that the stress of the two-year investigation had contributed to the suicide of his wife Rose last year.And Mr Johnson told the House of Commons that the rules needed to be changed to allow for an appeals process “as a matter of natural justice”.But Standards Committee chair, Labour MP Chris Bryant, denied that Mr Paterson had been treated unfairly, telling MPs that it was clear he had engaged in a “corrupt practice” and “brought the House into disrepute”. His name now risks becoming “a byword for bad behaviour” as a result of today’s vote, said Mr Bryant.The committee – made up of seven cross-party MPs and seven lay members – already provides an opportunity for appeal when it considers Ms Stone’s reports, he pointed out.The 250-232 result of Wednesday’s vote in favour of an amendment tabled by Tory MP Andrea Leadsom was greeted by cries of “shame” from the opposition benches. The amendment sets aside the findings against Mr Paterson until Mr Whittingdale’s committee completes its review.But the existing Standards Committee was quick to confirm that it will continue its work, and Ms Stone’s office told The Independent that she intends to remain in post until the end of her term in December 2022.All but two of those backing the change were Conservatives – with the others being the DUP’s Sammy Wilson and former Tory Rob Roberts, sitting as an Independent since he was suspended from the Commons for sexually harassing staff.Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner pointed out that ministers had insisted just weeks ago that it was not possible retrospectively to change the rules to allow voters in Mr Roberts’s Delyn constituency to recall him. She told MPs: “They can’t change the rules to stop sexual harassment, but they can change the rules to allow cash for access.”Mr Mills told The Independent that the vote was “the wrong thing to do being done in the wrong way at the worst possible time”, and that the new committee would be viewed as “laughable” by voters. And Jill Mortimer, the victor in this year’s Hartlepool by-election, was reported to have told Red Wall colleagues that the vote was “a colossal misjudgement”.A first-time rebel, Newcastle-under-Lyme’s Aaron Bell, said: “I think the process of investigating allegations against MPs could usefully be reformed. However, I don’t think it is appropriate to do that to seek to alter a particular finding, which is why I voted against the government today.”And High Peak MP Robert Largan said he would have voted to uphold Mr Paterson’s abstention if he had been able to attend parliament.Among the rebels was influential former chief whip Mark Harper, who stood against Mr Johnson for the Tory leadership in 2019.Former minister Stephen Hammond said he had abstained as the amendment was “not consistent with the highest standards of public life”.And another abstaining ex-minister, Gary Streeter, said it was “not our finest hour”, adding that the existing system worked well.Tory peer Gavin Barwell, who served as Theresa May’s chief of staff, said: “This is a terrible decision that will do real damage to reputation of parliament”. Ms May herself did not vote.The director of the University of Sussex Centre for the Study of Corruption, Professor Elizabeth David-Barrett, described it as “a shocking blow to democracy in the UK, at a moment when the world’s eyes are on us”.Prof David-Barrett said: “The vote completely undermines the existing standards system, which was an example of international best practice combining self-regulation with independent investigation, and was already carrying out a review through a proper consultative process. And it replaces that with a politicised kangaroo court.”And Tom Brake, director of the Unlock Democracy think tank and an MP for 22 years, said it was “a tragic day for democracy”.“It is official,” said Mr Brake. “The UK has now achieved banana republic status thanks to a PM who personally gave a nod and a wink to Conservative MPs that egregious breaches of lobbying rules by Conservative MPs will be overlooked.”The vote came just days after a scathing report by the Committee on Standards in Public Life called for rules on lobbying to be tightened up.The committee’s former chair Sir Alistair Graham said the move to put the future of standards in the hands of a Tory-dominated panel was “truly shocking”, adding: “We must worry about what the electorate will think about the House of Commons behaving in such an inappropriate and partisan way.”The general secretary of civil servants’ union the FDA, Dave Penman, denounced what he said was a “vicious and orchestrated campaign of personal attacks” against Ms Stone by MPs opposed to her findings in the Paterson investigation.“The reality of today’s vote is that the government has whipped its MPs to exert party political control over the system for regulating the conduct of MPs,” he said. “This is a retrograde step which risks undermining the public’s confidence in the system for holding MPs to account.”Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “This is a shameful move by Conservative MPs to rewrite the rules to look after one of their own.“It’s also sheer hypocrisy after ministers claimed they couldn’t change the rules retrospectively to allow Rob Roberts to be voted out by his constituents.”Mr Paterson welcomed the result of the vote, saying: “All I have ever asked is to have the opportunity to make my case through a fair process.“The decision today in parliament means that I will now have that opportunity. After two years of hell, I now have the opportunity to clear my name.” More