Owen Paterson takes UK government to European court over lobbying probe

Ex-minister Owen Paterson is taking the UK authorities to the European Court of Human Rights implicit a standards watchdog verdict that helium broke lobbying rules.

He resigned from Parliament past twelvemonth aft helium was recovered to person abused his relation arsenic an MP portion moving for 2 firms arsenic a paid consultant.

The ex-Tory MP is taking ineligible enactment successful Strasbourg implicit the investigation, which helium says was unfair.

The UK authorities says it is alert of the tribunal action.

Mr Paterson, a starring Eurosceptic who erstwhile campaigned for the UK to interruption distant from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), argues that the standards watchdog ruling "damaged his bully reputation".

In a European tribunal listing, helium argues the investigation, by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone, was unfair due to the fact that it did not perceive from witnesses and met successful secret.

The erstwhile MP for North Shropshire besides says helium was lone fixed 15 minutes to code the commissioner, was not permitted to beryllium represented by a lawyer and had nary close to appeal.

At the time, Mr Paterson insisted helium was "totally innocent" of breaking lobbying rules and that the process did not "comply with earthy justice".

In response, Labour MP Chris Bryant, who chairs the standards committee, insisted Mr Paterson had been fixed "every opportunity" to enactment his lawsuit crossed - and his arguments had been heard "respectfully and fairly".

In her report, the Kathryn Stone described Mr Paterson's actions arsenic "an egregious lawsuit of paid advocacy" and recommended helium beryllium suspended from the House of Commons for 30 days.

Conservative MPs initially sought to artifact the suspension with the backing of No 10, but Downing Street reversed its decisions aft an aggravated backlash.

Mr Paterson subsequently announced his resignation from Parliament saying helium wanted a beingness "outside the cruel satellite of politics".

The enactment severely damaged then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson's reputation, and is 1 of the factors that led to his eventual downfall.

In 2014, Mr Paterson argued successful a code that the UK should not conscionable discontinue the EU but to regenerate the European Convention connected Human Rights, connected which the European Court of Human Rights adjudicates.

Downing Street said the authorities would "respond successful the mean way" but that it was not capable to remark connected ineligible proceedings astatine this stage.