case of owen paterson on wednesday. the government then backtracked following an outcry. let s speak to christopher hope, chief political correspondent and assistant editor at the daily telegraph. welcome to you. first question for you is how representative do you thinkjohn major pulls my comments are of government thinking7 and also the government thinking of conservative voters7 jahh the government thinking of conservative voters? john ma or s comments conservative voters? john ma or s comments really i conservative voters? john ma or s comments really matter. conservative voters? john ma or s comments really matter. he h conservative voters? john major s comments really matter. he is . conservative voters? john major s comments really matter. he is a i comments really matter. he is a former tory prime minister and there aren t many of those. when he says things that count. at number ten they will know that he supported jeremy holmes in 2019, he hated brexit, he campaigned agains
day suspension for breaching lobbying rules. the government try to overturn the suspension and changed the system thatjudges mp conduct. they have asked to back the and about. but you turned less than 24 and about. but you turned less than 2a hours later after a furious backlash by the opposition and some conservatives. owen paterson has now resigned and the government has said that the way this played out was a mistake. it said the prime minister has stated that paid lobbying and paid advocacy by ministers and mps. but sirjohn claimed that this was not a mistake made on its own. it seems to me, is a lifelong conservative, that much of what they are doing is very un conservative in its behaviour. there are many strands to this and go way beyond the committee over the last few days. there is a general whiff of we are the masters now and that is about their behaviour. it has to stop and it has to stop soon. so john s comments follow a difficult
mps, despite a recommendation by the independent standards commissioner to suspend mr paterson for 30 days. if there s one person who knows the damage allegations of sleaze can cause it s sirjohn major. this former conservative prime minister government in the 1990s was brought down in part due to the cash for questions scandal. mps were offered money in exchange for asking parliamentary questions. but sir john claimed that while he set up a committee to look at standards in public life to tackle this, the current government has tried to defend the sort of behaviour over the few days. i defend the sort of behaviour over the few dam- defend the sort of behaviour over the few deve the few days. i think the way the government the few days. i think the way the government hand the few days. i think the way the government hand that the few days. i think the way the government hand that was - the few days. i think the way the - government hand that was shameful and wrong and unworthy