Hertford and Stortford Constituency Labour Party have condemned Julie Marson MP following her vote in Parliament to rip up Parliament’s rules on standards and protect fellow Tory MP Owen Paterson from any consequences after he was found to have broken the rules on lobbying.
The Independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards had recommended Mr Paterson be suspended from the House of Commons for 30 days, which would likely have triggered a recall petition and a by-election. This came after he was found to have broken lobbying rules by pocketing over £100,000 a year to lobby ministers on behalf of private companies.
“Let’s call this out for what it is: Tory MPs choosing to tear up the rules to protect one of their own. But this isn’t just an unfortunate incident, for Julie Marson it’s a pattern of behaviour,” Josh Dean, Chair of Hertford and Stortford Labour, said. “She defended Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trip to Barnard Castle, she defended Priti Patel’s bullying, and now she’s voted to protect a fellow Tory MP from punishment for corruption. We’re facing a tough winter with a cut to Universal Credit, rising taxes on working people and the cost of living increasing - residents in our community need an MP who will stand up for them, not just for her mates in Westminster.”
Less than 24 hours on from the vote, the Government has been forced into a screeching U-turn by opposition MPs and Mr Paterson has resigned as an MP following widespread anger. Jacob Rees-Mogg has confirmed that changes to the rules on standards would not go ahead without cross party support.
Hertford and Stortford Labour are urgently calling on Julie Marson MP to clarify why she felt it acceptable to protect a fellow Tory from the consequences of breaking the rules.
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