So, today, only Simon Hoare, MP for North Dorset had the decency (amongst the Conservatives in our area) to vote against a measure that got a man found guilty of breaking lobbying rules off a 30 day commons’ ban. Ten of our region’s MPs did not vote for whatever reason. Let’s be kind and call it ‘feeling queasy about sanctioning corruption’. It may just have been a case of not being there, being paired or not being bothered. Perhaps they can let us know.
Labour MPs Luke Pollard (Plymouth Sutton and Devonport) amd Ben Bradshaw (Exeter) voted against.
Owen Paterson, the guilty man in question, was allowed to vote to stop his own suspension! Guess which lobby he walked through!
Listed below are the 18 Conservative MPs from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset who voted to disregard the findings of the cross-party Commons Standards Committee, let Paterson off the hook and to review the committee’s operation. (Plus the two tellers for the ayes.)
Christopher Chope Christchurch
Steve Double St Austell and Newquay
Richard Drax South Dorset
George Eustice Camborne and Redruth
Liam Fox North Somerset
Marcus Fysh Yeovil
Chris Loder West Dorset
Anthony Mangnall Totnes
Anne Marie Morris Newton Abbot
Sheryll Murray South East Cornwall
Neil Parish Tiverton and Honiton
John Penrose Weston-super-Mare THE ANTI CORRUPTION TSAR!
Rebecca Pow Taunton Deane
Jacob Rees-Mogg North East Somerset
Selaine Saxby North Devon
Robert Syms Poole
Derek Thomas St Ives
David Warburton Somerton and Frome
Scott Mann (North Cornwall) and Michael Tomlinson (Mid Dorset and North Poole) were tellers for the ayes.
No vote recorded:
Conor Burns Bournemouth West
Geoffrey Cox Torridge and West Devon
Tobias Ellwood Bournemouth East
Kevin Foster Torbay
James Heappey Wells
Simon Jupp East Devon
Ian Liddell-Granger Bridgwater and West Somerset
Cherilyn Mackrory Truro and Falmouth
Johnny Mercer Plymouth Moor View
Gary Streeter South West Devon
Mel Stride Central Devon
Here is Exeter’s Labour MP, Ben Bradshaw’s reaction:
And our own Tom Scott:
This may yet all backfire horribly on Johnson:
