Sir Keir Starmer demands Boris Johnson apologise to the nation over Owen Paterson sleaze row ahead of emergency debate

Prime Minister Boris Johnson must apologise to the country for his handling of the Owen Paterson sleaze row, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Labour leader said Mr Johnson must also confirm that Mr Paterson, a former cabinet minister, will not be nominated for a peerage.

Ahead of an emergency Commons debate on standards at Westminster, Sir Keir said Mr Johnson needed to act to clean up politics.

It comes as former Tory deputy PM Michael Heseltine told Sky News he cannot “disagree” with Sir John Major’s assessment that recent behaviour of Mr Johnson’s government could be considered “politically corrupt”.

Lord Heseltine spoke after cabinet minister George Eustice played down the sleaze row as a “storm in a teacup”, insisting the government was focused on “big, important decisions” like those posed at COP26.

Sir Keir has also called for action against disgraced MP Rob Roberts, who was readmitted to the Conservative Party despite breaking parliament’s sexual misconduct policy.

Although he is back in the party, the Delyn MP sits as an independent in the Commons as the Conservative whip remains suspended.

A Commons debate last Monday was granted by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle following Tory attempts to block an immediate 30-day suspension for Mr Paterson over an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules.

Conservative MPs were ordered to back the creation of a Tory-led committee to look again at Mr Paterson’s case and the whole standards system.

But after a backlash over the plan, the government performed a U-turn and Mr Paterson subsequently quit as an MP, leaving what he called the “cruel world of politics”.