OUTRAGE has greeted Boris Johnson’s refusal to rule out handing a peerage to the disgraced former Tory MP Owen Paterson.
Paterson, who was forced to step down after the UK Government U-turned on a victorious Commons vote to protect him from suspension, had been found to have lobbied ministers for two firms which paid him £100,000 per year.
While Paterson continues to deny wrongdoing, the scandal which erupted around him has seen further accusations of sleaze and corruption engulf Johnson’s government once again.
READ MORE: How the Owen Paterson sleaze scandal sums up the Tory government
However, despite the ignominious manner of his exit from politics, the Prime Minister refused to rule out handing the former North Shropshire MP a seat in the House of Lords.
Johnson’s official spokesperson repeatedly refused to deny on the record that the Prime Minister offered Paterson a peerage yesterday, or plans to give him one in the future.
It has also been reported that Tory MPs were told they would “lose funding for their constituency” if they didn’t vote with the UK Government to protect Paterson.
Commenting, SNP MP Pete Wishart (below) said: “Just like they did with Covid contracts, it seems the Tories will hand out peerages like sweeties to people - regardless of what they have done as long as they are one of their own.
“It is an utter disgrace that the Prime Minister failed to rule out a peerage for an MP who was found to have broken important lobbying rules - and looks to be considering rewarding bad behaviour with a cushy £300-a-day seat in the unelected and undemocratic House of Lords.”
While positions in the House of Lords are not paid, peers have a right to claim expenses for each day that they speak in parliament.
Peers can claim a tax-free flat rate of up to £323 for each sitting day, a reduced rate of around £160, or not claim at all.
READ MORE: These are the MPs facing investigations into sleaze at Westminster
In 2019, each peer claimed an average of around £31,000, according to analysis from The Sunday Times.
Wishart went on: “Westminster is broken beyond repair and has become nothing more than a sleaze fest under Boris Johnson. It has been beset by scandal after scandal – with the Prime Minister and his Tory colleagues guilty of breaking the ministerial code, acting unlawfully, handing peerages to donors, contracts to cronies and special access to their pals.
“Scotland wants no part in the sleaze, cronyism and corruption which has become endemic in Westminster. The only way we can shake it off for good is to become an independent country.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel