UK Conservatives back down on lobbying plan overhaul

Britain’s Conservative government has backed down on plans to overhaul lobbying rules for lawmakers amid a furious backlash over efforts to abolish the independent system to police the conduct of members of the House of Commons

LONDON -- Britain’s Conservative government backed down Thursday on plans to overhaul lobbying rules for lawmakers amid a backlash over efforts to abolish an independent system to police the conduct of members of the House of Commons.

The furious dispute came after British lawmakers voted Wednesday not to suspend a Conservative legislator who was found to have broken lobbying rules. By a 250-232 vote, member of Parliament Owen Paterson was set to avoid the 30-day suspension recommended by the Commons standards committee.

It was the first time in decades that lawmakers hadn't accepted the standards committee’s decisions.

Opposition parties responded with fury, and threatened to boycott future standards action. The newspaper headlines reflected the anger, with the Daily Mail proclaiming that “Shameless MPs Slink Back Into Sleaze,’’ and the Guardian saying that “PM Accused of Corruption as Rules on Sleaze Torn Up.”