‘A bad day for democracy’: Tory MP slams government over Owen Paterson sleaze vote

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has suggested the government-backed vote to block the 30-day suspension of Owen Paterson was “a bad day for democracy”.

Mr Ellwood, who abstained from the vote, also suggested “parliament’s reputation has now been damaged”.

“It was a bad day for democracy. We pride ourselves on who we are as a parliament,” the Conservative MP said.

“What we did yesterday was lose our way slightly and forget who we serve. We serve the British people and that’s reflected in the headlines today.”

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