Owen Paterson: MPs urged to approve suspension report

The chairman of Parliament's Standards Committee has called on Parliament to approve his committee's report on Owen Paterson's conduct - even though Mr Paterson has resigned as an MP.

Writing in the Observer, Chris Bryant said this would be the bare minimum needed to declare beyond doubt that Mr Paterson's conduct was "corrupt".

The government had planned to set up a new committee to judge MPs' conduct - but later reversed its decision.

Mr Paterson denies breaking the rules.

Environment Secretary George Eustice defended the government's position, saying it had been trying to reform the system to give politicians under investigation the right to appeal against any findings against them - rather than protecting Mr Paterson.

He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "We've been consistent on this throughout."

On Wednesday, Conservative MPs blocked the Standards Committee's recommendation that Mr Paterson should be suspended for 30 days over breach of lobbying rules by calling for an overhaul of the MPs' standards watchdog instead.

They initially had the backing of No 10, but Downing Street changed its mind after a furious backlash by opposition MPs and some Conservatives.

Mr Paterson then resigned as MP and issued a statement saying he now wanted a life "outside the cruel world of politics", adding: "I maintain that I am totally innocent of what I have been accused of and I acted at all times in the interests of public health and safety."

His resignation will trigger a by-election in his North Shropshire seat.

In the article, Labour's Mr Bryant said he hoped a motion on Mr Paterson's suspension could still be passed on Tuesday to show Mr Paterson's conduct was "corrupt and unacceptable".

He went on to say the House of Commons must abandon the ad-hoc committee the government wanted to set up under Conservative MP John Whittingdale.

Mr Bryant also called on the Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg to apologise for the "damage he has done to Parliament's reputation".

The standards committee itself would look at proposals to reform the system that checks MPs' behaviour but "my guess is that voters want more independence, not less", he added.

He said the committee would produce a report on possible changes before Christmas for the Commons to consider in the New Year.

The government has been widely criticised for its handling of Mr Paterson's case.

The Liberal Democrats have secured an emergency debate in Parliament on Monday on the issues that arose around Mr Paterson's recommended suspension and the handling of his case by the government.

On Saturday, former Conservative prime minister John Major said the government's action had been shameful, wrong and had damaged Parliament's reputation.

Fellow Conservative Tobias Ellwood, writing in the Sun, has said testing times prompt the public to look to its government to provide "leadership, statecraft and vision".

"A PM who takes Parliament for granted will achieve none of these things and simply end up, not as a big beast, but as just another former occupant of No 10," Mr Ellwood wrote of Boris Johnson.

He said there was genuine rage within the ranks - and now would be the time to press the reset button on the Parliament-government relationship.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has written to the body that considers nominations for peerages to argue that Mr Paterson should not be granted a peerage if Downing Street recommends him for one.

He said to make Mr Paterson a peer would undermine confidence in the probity of Parliament.