Sleaze dominated the headlines for a third consecutive week after Boris Johnson’s efforts to draw a line under the scandal was undermined by one of his own backbenchers.
Two weeks after voting against the suspension of their colleague Owen Paterson, who was found guilty of paid lobbying by the standards watchdog, ministers tried to reverse the decision in parliament without a vote. But one veteran MP had other ideas.
The Conservatives and Labour laid out their plans to ban MPs from taking second jobs as consultants. The opposition attacked Johnson’s proposals, describing the government’s plan as “not specific” and “watered down”.
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The government also announced that the eastern leg of the HS2 rail link from the West Midlands to Leeds will be axed. The “Northern Powerhouse” rail route, a proposed new line from Leeds to Manchester via Bradford, has also been scrapped.
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