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Now scandal-hit Owen Patterson resigns from his business roles after stepping down as MP

November 6, 2021
Henry Club

Now scandal-hit Owen Patterson resigns from his business roles after stepping down as MP

  • Owen Patterson quits his consulting job with Randox and Lynn’s Country Foods
  • Downing Street, however, did not rule out the possibility of acquiring his co-worker.
  • Mr Patterson announced he is ‘stepping away’ from online roles last night

By Martin Beckford And John Stevens for Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:










Third MPs have a side role

One in three MPs earns money outside Parliament.

Research has shown that out of 650 MPs declared till March, 237 have earned outsiders.

An analysis by the website Open Democracy found that among them he received £4.9 million on top of his parliamentary salary.

Among the highest earners were former Prime Minister Theresa May, who was paid £616,000 to deliver speeches, and former Attorney General Sir Geoffrey Cox, who receives £400,000 a year as an advisor to legal giant Withers.

There is a growing demand for a ban on such roles. Green MP Caroline Lucas told Question Time: ‘The idea that you can take time off for a part-time job that’s going to pay you £100,000 on top of being an MP, sounds pretty ridiculous to me.’

scam-hit Owen Patterson He quit his lucrative consulting job yesterday amid the ongoing controversy surrounding his roles.

The disgraced former cabinet minister announced he was ‘stepping away’ from his advisory roles with a health firm and a sausage maker after he was learned to have lobbying ministers and officials on his behalf.

But despite being forced to quit his job and stand down as an MP this week, Downing Street Denied him the possibility of getting a colleague.

Mr Patterson, Northern Ireland The Secretary and Environment Secretary, under the Coalition, was paid £100,000 per year for 16 hours of work each month advising Randox Laboratories since 2015, as well as 24 hours per year by Lynn’s Country Foods for the past five years. was paid for £12,000.

The 65-year-old, whose wife Rose took her own life last year, wrote online: ‘Thank you man Dr Pa guys who have sent their best wishes to me and my family this week.

‘At this difficult time, I will withdraw from my current counseling work to focus on my family and suicide prevention.’

It is understood that he himself took the decision to quit and was not forcibly fired. Lynn declined to comment, while Randox said: ‘Randox acknowledges Mr Patterson’s desire at this difficult time to step away from his counseling work to focus on his family and suicide prevention.

‘We wish Owen and his family the very best in their future endeavours.’

The Standards Commissioner’s investigation, which ended his career, found that Mr Patterson had violated a ban on ‘paid advocacy’ – lobbying – by contacting the Food Standards Agency three times on Randox’s behalf and taking its blood tests. Contacted aid ministers four times to promote.

Owen Patterson, right, with Dr. Peter Fitzgerald. Mr Patterson had been paid £100,000 per year for 16 hours of work each month advising Randox Laboratories since 2015.

He used his Commons office 25 times for business meetings with both Randox and Lin.

However, the investigation did not consider a meeting with Randox and the minister who is responsible for the COVID testing supplies at the start of the pandemic.

Mr Patterson was party to the call with Lord Bethel and the firm in April last year, shortly after he won his first contract to provide COVID testing.

Government sources said it was just a “courtesy call” from the minister after the contract was signed at that time.

The Standards Commissioner's investigation that ended his career found that Mr. Patterson had

The Standards Commissioner’s investigation that ended his career found that Mr Patterson had violated a ban on ‘paid advocacy’.

resolution of by-election

Opposition parties have denied the standing of a Martin Bell-style ‘anti-sly’ candidate who could steal Owen Paterson’s seat and his 22,949 majority from the Tories.

It was suggested that the major opposition party would stand aside to explicitly run an independent in the North Shropshire by-election.

But both Labor and the Liberal Democrats said yesterday that they would field their own candidates.

Martin Bell won the seat of Tartan in 1997 as an independent on an anti-corruption ticket.

Despite being forced to quit his job and stand down as an MP this week, Downing Street refused to rule out the possibility of Mr Patterson getting a colleague.

Despite being forced to quit his job and stand down as an MP this week, Downing Street refused to rule out the possibility of Mr Patterson getting a colleague.

Last autumn, Randox was awarded a £347million contract for coronavirus testing services.

Despite the ongoing controversy over Mr Patterson, No 10 yesterday left the door open for him to be awarded a seat in the House of Lords.

Asked about claims that he might have found a colleague, the prime minister’s spokesman would only say: ‘Naturally there is a formal process for peers.’

Sources say Boris Johnson did not discuss the matter with Mr Patterson in a phone call on Thursday after he decided to step down as MP.

No 10 also declined to say whether MPs had been warned they could lose government funding for their constituencies if they voted against the doomed plan to suspend Mr Patterson from the Commons.

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