Owen Patterson and sleaze- a shameful day in the House

Labour has called on the PM to launch an investigation into one of his Tory MPs, who earned almost £900,000 through jobs outside Parliament.

Sir Geoffrey Cox racked up the wage bill as a lawyer, including travelling to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to advise on a corruption inquiry.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59218438

Labour chair Anneliese Dodds said he "took advantage" of Covid restrictions to work remotely from the Caribbean.

Not just a paltry £400,000, but a much more substantial £900,000 +++

My brain hurts maizie. I look forward to the Tory apologists supporting this. Mind you, Raab was a bit wishy washy in his support.

GillT57

Geoffrey was paid £400k to advise the British Virgin Islands on corruption issues. This is getting truly Orwellian.

What is more, the state which is trying to bring charges against the BVI is the UK! So a UK MP is working for the state which we want to prosecute...

It's a bit crazy, isn't it?

Oh!

I had to laugh, GillT57 - the only bit of that showing on the 'active posts' page was:

Geoffrey was paid £400k to advise the British Virgin

Childish, I know, but it made me chuckle

Geoffrey was paid £400k to advise the British Virgin Islands on corruption issues. This is getting truly Orwellian.

Whitewavemark2

Anyone living in Geoffrey Cox’s constituency?

Apparently he is living in the Caribbean and has only attended one debate.

Definitely getting value for money with that one.

Good grief. I saw an article about how much he was earning but just assumed he was no longer an MP.

He has been allowed to vote from the Caribbean ...unlike Amy Callaghan who is just in Glasgow but suffered a stroke 18 months ago ,not sure of date .She has been working even when in hospital for her constituents but still has mobility issues and other problems from the stroke .She was denied a vote ,not that it would have made a difference against the tory faithful BUT she is aware she's in Westminster to speak for her constituents ,alas being SNP her views and ours were not allowed /

Anyone living in Geoffrey Cox’s constituency?

Apparently he is living in the Caribbean and has only attended one debate.

Definitely getting value for money with that one.

I’m with Dickens. No need to say any more except “well done”.

Very well spoken by the ex Chief Whip Mark Harper- true one nation Tories are finding their position in this Government, under this PM, increasing untolerable

fb.watch/99_B2qS1Es/

Why oh why did the Hospital management not tell him to wear a mask or LEAVE??? The total disrespect for staff who have no choice but to wear a mask, day in, day out- nights ... to not even bother to wear one for a short visit. Appalling.

Mark Harper was very condeming of the PM and what happened last week- about such a vote being whipped (bullied!) - watching Rees-Mogg and the front bench squirm as he spoke with passion, was quite something.

I do believe things are a-turning! Beneath contempt indeed.

Also note that Johnson was back in London at least an hour before the end of the debate. He could have joined it, if only to apologise in person for the 'mistake' his government made last week.

He is beneath contempt.

So Johnson failed to attend the debate, instead preferring to spend the time attempting to take the attention away from corruption to his failure to wear a mask whilst visiting a hospital.

TAKE NOTE - there were almost certainly people suffering and dying from covid in that hospital being attended to by NHS staff and Johnson was prepared to put them at risk for his own agenda.

Johnson is a monster.

It was very brave of Aaron Bell to speak out the way he did last week and he gave a great speech today.

It was heartening to see some who are not accepting of the Johnson worship. Rees-Mogg looked very uncomfortable and rather disengaged from what was going on.

There were longer term ones there, too. Like Mark Harper, former Chief Whip and Jeremy Wright, apparently a former Attorney General. Neither of them were very happy... Peter Bottomley, Father of the House. He not happy either...

A lot of those 'red wall' MPs have slimmish majorities and inboxes full of constituents angry messages.

It would appear that the few Tory MPs who did attend were newer ones who are very angry at what happened last week, who are angry at the bullying they were subjected to. Johnson is not only corrupt he is a coward and I suspect his support is falling. Quite frankly, anyone who isn't disgusted by Johnson needs to evaluate their moral code. I was very glad to hear that the SNP have reported him to the police with regard to the sale of seats in the HoL. Does anyone know if HMRC will demand tax on the benefits in kind of.his many holidays paid for by others?

Never apologise, never explain. Isn't that Johnson's motto?

Anyway, this could all have been cleared up and put behind them by tidying up the loose ends with a vote tomorrow, before yet another recess. Chris Bryant had a motion all ready to go. But, it's not going to happen and will come back to be debated after recess. Which gives it lots of opportunity to be kept alive in the media. Plus the peerages question, and probably the sewage one too, as tonight's passed amendment was the weak one...

I'm very cautiously betting that Carrie won't be enjoying her £20k refurb for much longer...

Why did Barclay have to apologise. The PM should have been there and apologised himself- or at the very least The Leader of the House. Instead Johnson was masquerading- well without the mask bit- with nurses in a hospital. Despicable, and yes, the epitomy of arrogance.

I agree with you, grannyactivist. Tories were perfectly reasonable. Though, of course, they were the horrified ones. What about the other 300 or so?

Whitewavemark2

Only something like 35 Tories bothered to turn up. They are too arrogant to even bother defending their position.

Meanwhile their leader was trotting around a hospital and the only one who gave no consideration to the staff by not wearing a mask

It looked like more than 35 tory MPs to me. Certainly right at the start. The benches weren't exactly jam packed solid, though, on either side.

I thought that Starmer made a good speech.

I thought Wendy Chamberlain, the MP who introduced today’s debate, set the tone very well and the MPs, in the main, were measured in their responses and a lot less combative than is usual. The few Conservative MPs present served the reputation of the House well I thought, with the notable exception of Bill Cash who was somewhat bellicose.

I think that Boris Johnson, as the architect of the situation under discussion, should have been present in person to give at least the appearance of caring about the government’s actions in trashing the reputation of the HoC. The fact that he chose to be elsewhere and Jacob Rees Mogg deigned not to speak, as would have been usual in the absence of BJ, seemed to me to be a calculated act of arrogance.

Apart from one very close friend (who recently had dinner with JRM) I get a very strong sense from the Conservative voters I know that the tide of Tory support for this government is now truly turning.

Especially when they use that tragedy to escape justice.