Johnson’s new scandal for protecting a corrupt deputy

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has starred in a new scandal in recent hours. His attempt, on Wednesday, to rescue a deputy from the Conservative Party convicted of corrupt practices changing the rules of the parliamentary discipline system ended in chaotic fashion 24 hours later. Johnson backed down on Thursday after forcing his deputies to vote the day before on an amendment to stop sanction imposed by the Ethics Committee a Owen Paterson and incidentally review the functioning of that body. The maneuver caused a wave of indignation, with screams of “shame!“ in the House of Commons, the rebellion of a group of conservative deputies themselves and an avalanche of criticism, including from the more like-minded press. The laundering of one of their own discredited the entire political class and the democratic system itself. Under enormous pressure from public opinion, Johnson withdrew the project. Paterson, 65, who had once held ministerial positions, submitted the resignation, because he said he wanted to have a life “out of the cruel world of politics“.

An investigation by the committee that ensures the integrity of the behavior of parliamentarians had concluded that Owen, taking advantage of his privileged position, had benefited from two companies to which he had advised and in favor of which he had mediated in a “outrageous collection case for the defense of private interests“. In exchange for these efforts, he had been charging the equivalent of 120,000 euros per year. “He has brought the discredit to this Parliament “, the report pointed out. The beneficiary companies were two laboratories, Lynn’s Country Food and Randox. The latter is one of those that are making gold with the Mandatory test for travelers arriving in the UK, despite being vaccinated with the full regimen.

The penalty imposed on Owen was a one-month suspension and opened the door to being repudiated in his constituency of North Shropshire (in central England) by local militants. For this to be the case, it was enough for 10% of the registered members to sign a petition for him to be replaced by another candidate and start the electoral process.

Perversion of justice

The scandalized deputies feared the consequences of the Government’s attempts to rewrite the rules to save one of yours. “Let’s not forget that we are at the service of the citizens,” said Tobis Ellwood, one of the ‘Tories’ who did not support the government’s amendment. “The way in which we have closed this matter conveys the feeling that we only care to protect our own“That’s what Labor Party member Chris Bryant, chairman of the Ethics Commission, thought.”It’s a perversion of justice“.

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Paterson had defended his innocence, even claiming that the proceedings against him contributed to the suicide of his wife, Rose, 63, last summer. “I lost my beloved wife, to whom I had been married for 40 years, and this investigation was a major factor in that outcome.”

Most of the deputies recognized the painful personal circumstances of the Owen family, but considered it essential to separate these elements from the corrupt facts investigated, as well as to separate their individual case from an independent review of the system to judge possible infractions. That precise review of the participation of all parties and the Labor opposition had already announced that it would not participate after the Johnson vote.