JUSTICE FILMS

An independently-produced documentary which reviews the 2021 “lobbying scandal” involving the former Cabinet Minister, Owen Paterson, has identified serious shortcomings in the House of Commons Committee on Standards investigation which resulted in the MP’s resignation. This followed a report by the Standards Commissioner, Kathryn Stone.

Sir Anthony Hooper, a former Court of Appeal judge, was asked to review the case. He said, “The Commissioner had made up her mind and “decided Mr Paterson had breached the rules” before receiving witness evidence supporting [Owen Paterson’s] explanations.” He also said, “it is my opinion that [Owen Paterson] was not subject to a fair process in accordance with natural justice.”

Paterson has not been able to challenge the investigation or its findings in a UK court as they are protected by parliamentary privilege. Last month, his remaining hope, that the matter would be considered by the European Court of Human Rights, was extinguished when the Court ruled his case “inadmissible.” 

Keen to bring his case before a Court, Paterson has written to former human rights lawyer, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, asked him to waive parliamentary privilege and allow him a day in court.

Those interviewed in the documentary include former minister, Rory Stewart, who says, “What worries me here is that it feels as though Owen has been the kind of scapegoat and the symbol of sleaze when, in my experience, I don’t feel he was doing anything dishonourable.”

Iain Duncan Smith, former leader of the Conservative Party, says, “I have huge sympathy for Owen …who believes that he provided enough evidence to demonstrate that was acting in the public good, not in his own personal interests.”

Entitled “Justice? The Owen Paterson Story”, the documentary can be found at www.justicefilms.co.uk. Presented by respected journalist, broadcaster and author, Andrew Pierce, it looks at the investigation of Mr Paterson which was undertaken by the House of Commons’ Standards Commissioner into the then MP’s consultancy work for two Northern Ireland companies.

It examines the claims made against Mr Paterson, who resigned from the House of Commons three years ago having been found to have lobbied. It also reviews the extensive evidence provided by him in his defence – evidence which was never examined by the Commissioner, who instead confirmed in writing that she had reached a decision before seeing any evidence.

The documentary includes contributions from a number of prominent individuals from politics and the law, many of whom have been directly involved, and who express concern at the manner in which the investigation was conducted, in particular the Commissioner’s failure to approach 17 witnesses, each of whom had produced signed statements making clear that Owen Paterson had not lobbied.  The Commissioner herself, on the other hand, produced not a single witness before reaching the conclusion that Paterson had lobbied.