Steerpike
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Paterson of course is an older MP viewed as being on the right of his party – a 65 year-old Brexiteer, with much of the initial support (understandably) coming from that wing and profile of the party, accordingly. It’s no surprise that David Davis and Graham Brady have been among the first to publicly put their heads above the parapet to question the ruling. But some in the 2019 cohort admit to feeling ‘pretty sorry’ for Paterson, that it’s ‘all very sad’ and expressing ‘unease’ about the system under which he was investigated.
All eyes now turn to what the government will do, amid calls from Paterson’s supporters for MPs to be given a free vote on his fate. There have only been two proper votes on a standards report’s suspension recommendation – in 1947 and in 1990 – that both failed. Wednesday’s motion looks set to pass given that few, if any, of the 283 (sitting) Opposition MPs look set to publicly back him and that many of the 361 Tory MPs will want to endorse or abstain on the Commissioner’s recommendations.
But however the vote goes, Paterson’s case has wider ramifications for the future. The first is that it adds to a growing sense of discontent among MPs and their spouses about their futures in Parliament. As one said to Mr S: ‘If the party isn’t willing to stand by us when we’re in trouble, why should we carry on?’ adding that there will be ‘many such’ conversations over the Christmas recess. And the second is the future of the Commissioner’s role going forward, amid calls in some quarters to break up the post to separate its prosecution and judicial elements.
The irony of the Paterson case is that it could impact Stone’s future more than the man she probed.
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