Britain’s government goes to disgraceful lengths to protect a Tory MP
Owen Paterson broke lobbying rules. To save him, it wanted to rewrite those rules
THERE ARE things that democratic governments are not supposed to do. They are not supposed to change the rules of the game at the last minute because they are going to lose. They are not supposed to make it easier to take money for favours. They are not supposed to force MPs to do things that make them hang their heads in shame. Yet on November 3rd Boris Johnson’s government did all this and more. The father of the House, Peter Bottomley, declared that he could not in conscience vote with his party. Younger Tory MPs with careers still to make looked embarrassed.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Tory sleaze, again”
Britain November 6th 2021
- Britain’s government goes to disgraceful lengths to protect a Tory MP
- Judicial independence is under threat in Britain
- COP26 in Glasgow gets off to a chaotic start
- Britons love e-cigarettes—and ministers want to encourage them
- Higher interest rates mean more expensive mortgages
- Boris Johnson’s Conservatives plan to create a bigger, busier state
From the November 6th 2021 edition
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