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A cabinet minister has dismissed the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal as a “Westminster storm in a teacup” and admitted a “frustration” that the row has shifted focus from the COP26 climate change summit.
Environment Secretary George Eustice became the latest cabinet minister to admit to a “mistake” in the government’s handling of the row over Mr Paterson’s £110,000 a year private sector work.
But, speaking to Sky News, Mr Eustice denied that the government was now in trouble over “sleaze” allegations.
“I know you may put it to me that way, others – opposition leaders and so on, and opposition politicians – will no doubt say that, but I don’t agree,” he told the Trevor Phillips On Sunday Show.
“I’ve been up here in Glasgow at COP, where some really big decisions are being taken, big, important decisions around the world on a big challenge like climate change.
“What we’ve seen is a sort of Westminster storm in a teacup, if I may say so.
“Yes, we made a mistake in bringing that forward in the way that we did, so we withdrew it.
“But the overall principle that you should have due process and a right of appeal in these types of situations, I don’t think anybody doubts.”
The row over the government’s efforts to block an immediate House of Commons suspension for Mr Paterson – who has now since quit as an MP – has dominated discussions at Westminster this week, at the same time as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to ensure the COP-26 summit is a success.
Mr Eustice acknowledged that “anyone in politics” has a “frustration” that “the really big important things that you’re doing, that you’re making progress on, policy agendas at work, are rarely deemed newsworthy”.
“The news agenda will always focus on small, often – as I said – storms in a teacup and Westminster row,” he added.
Labour’s shadow leader of the House of Commons, Thangham Debbonaire, branded the row over Mr Paterson as “Tory sleaze plain and simple”.
She called on the prime minister…
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Source : skynews
