After Owen Paterson’s vote to suspend him, vandals painted graffiti all over the North Wales Tory MP’s constituency offices.
The words ‘corrupt scum’ have been spray-painted in red across the windows outside the building on Princes Drive, Colwyn Bay, where Clwyd West MP David Jones is based.
It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson whipped his MPs to support an amendment not to suspend North Shropshire Tory, Owen Paterson, after he was found guilty of paid lobbying by a standards watchdog.
Mr Jones, from Rhos on Sea, who has represented Clwyd West since 2005, voted in favour of putting aside Paterson’s suspension and reviewing the standards system.
The plans provoked an immediate outcry and were immediately plunged into chaos when Labour, the SNP and Liberal Democrats vowed to boycott a proposed committee the Tories wanted to set-up.
Downing Street performed a humiliating U-turn on Thursday, less than 24 hours later and Mr Paterson, who lost his wife to suicide, resigned.
Colwyn Bay’s graffiti had ‘corrupt scum” written in red.
Vandals struck twice in two days and targeted MP David Jones’ constituency offices
Mr Jones, MP, voted for Owen Paterson to be lifted and the standard system reviewed.
The Government is being accused of corrupt acts since then.
The graffiti attack on Mr Jones’ offices also damaged a grief counselling charity, Cruse Bereavement, which is next door.
Jones refused to comment.
Boris Johnson (left), in an unsuccessful bid to rescue Owen Paterson (right), from lobbying for punishment, will be under fire at the Commons today
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who is likely to signify his commitment to protecting the integrity of Parliament’s future work later in the day.
After trying to call the scandal a “storm in a teacup”, ministers are being accused of not getting it.
In an emergency three-hour Commons debate today, MPs will ramp up pressure on Boris Johnson to rule out a peerage for Mr Paterson and to launch an investigation into £600million of Covid contracts awarded to one of the firms he worked for.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle may announce an announcement about standards review later in the day.
Last week, after the ministers failed to salvage him from extinction, Paterson was forced to step down as an MP.
In a humiliating U-turn, Mr Johnson dropped a bid to prevent Mr Paterson being suspended from Parliament for lobbying on behalf of two firms which paid him more than £500,000.
Hours later, he resigned saying that he was tired of the “cruel world” of politics.
However, it appears that Paterson, who is an ex-Minister in the Cabinet, will retain his access to the Commons because he can request a so called ‘categoryX pass’ for ex-parliamentarians.
Ex-MPs have 283 cards that allow them to continue entry to the Parliamentary bars and restaurants, as well as to their personal financial accounts, like sitting MPs or peers. However, they cannot lobby as per Commons rules.
The current holders of passes include Sir Michael Fallon (the former defense secretary and is now deputy chairman at an oil company).
Michael Dugher is a former Labour MP and the chief executive of The Betting and Gaming Council. Sir Nick Clegg who was previously deputy prime minister and works for Facebook also has them.
This comes just as Johnson is facing fresh anger from Tory MPs after George Eustice, Environment Secretary, claimed that Mr Paterson’s row was a “storm in a teacup”.
As a result of public anger at the Conservative Party benches, ministers’ comments were labeled ‘unhelpful’ as ‘complete nonsense’.
Tobias Ellwood, a Tory ex-minister and former minister of the Tory party, also stressed the seriousness of the dispute by telling BBC: “We shouldn’t deny that it was a dark week in British democracy.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader said that even after the past week Boris Johnson’s ministers haven’t gotten it.
“They’re so out of touch that they don’t believe they have done any wrong, and still think that the rules don’t apply to their situation.”
Ahead of today’s Commons debate, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer last night called on Mr Johnson to ‘answer, apologise and act’ over the scandal. To confirm that Paterson will not be awarded a peerage.
And he will call for Mr Johnson to ‘commit to a full, transparent investigation into the more than £600million of taxpayer money handed without competition or tender to Randox’, one of the firms Mr Paterson worked for.
After Mr Eustice had earlier said it was unlikely, a Downing Street source stated that a peerage for Paterson was “not in the cards”.
Last night, a friend of Mr Paterson claimed that no peerage was’mentioned or offered’.
He insisted they did not intend to apply for Commons passes.