Government's defence of Owen Paterson will damage trust in politicians

Commenting ahead of the House of Commons vote today that saw Conservative MPs, with a few notable exceptions, move to block the suspension of former minister Owen Paterson, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP said:    "Owen Paterson’s focus on the Commissioner herself rather than the office has been reprehensible.  The Government supporting him in that is shameful. This was a committee with a Conservative majority of MPs that clearly concluded he had broken the rules. The report agrees that there were deliberate rule breaches and no rescue amendment should be supported today.   "Climate change and coming out of the pandemic are just two issues where trust in politicians is essential. Owen Paterson and the Government’s defence of him will inevitably damage what little trust is left."