North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson resigns amid suspension row
Parliament's independent investigator found he'd broken lobbying rules
Last updated 4th Nov 2021
Owen Paterson has announced he will resign as the MP for North Shropshire at the request of his children and to escape "the cruel world of politics. "
A suspension of 30 days had been recommended for Mr Paterson, who has been an MP for 24 years, following an investigation into his private sector work.
The investigation found an "egregious breach" of standards rules as he lobbied minister and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 a year.
On Wednesday Conservative MPs passed a motion in favour of ignoring Mr Paterson's suspension.
Following a back-lash online and in the morning papers the government U-turned on the row today, promising a new vote on the suspension, prior to Mr Paterson's resignation.
Mr Paterson has continually declared that he is not guilty and criticised the investigation.
The resignation will trigger a by-election in North Shropshire, a seat claimed with almost a 23,000 vote majority in the 2019 election.