Southport MP Damien Moore has voted with Conservatives colleagues to delay and reassess a 30-day suspension handed to Owen Paterson, the MP for North Shropshire, who was found to have misused his position according to the Commons Standards Committee.
According to the committee, Mr Paterson used his parliamentary position to lobby on behalf of two companies who employed him as a paid consultant, and recommended a 30-day suspension.
The committee found that Mr Paterson regularly used his constituency office to conduct outside business affairs, and twice used parliamentary letterheads to represent the companies’ interests.
Mr Paterson denies the allegations and says his intention was to alert ministers about defects in safety regulations.
He also suggested that the investigation played a significant role in the death of his wife, who committed suicide last year.
The vote carried 250 to 232.
13 Conservatives voted against the hold, while 98 Conservatives abstained. Mr Moore voted in favour of the delay to Mr Paterson’s suspension.
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