North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson 'had to go' over lobbying row

Owen Paterson has been at the centre of a row over how to check MPs' conduct

Resigning MP Owen Paterson had "to go", a colleague has said following the Conservative's lobbying rules breach.

Mr Paterson, who was member for North Shropshire, quit after a row over his conduct led to a government U-turn.

Locally, some colleagues paid tribute to him as a "hard-working MP" who had fought "for many good causes".

Others said he had "done the right thing" by resigning, with one saying Mr Paterson had "had enough".

Oswestry Town Mayor Mark Jones, a member of North Shropshire Conservative Association, said Mr Paterson's resignation was inevitable.

"It's sad but he was found guilty by the board," Mr Jones said.

"He's put himself under pressure and he's lost a lot. He's been a good MP and was passionate about his job. He has to go."

Keith Barrow, former Conservative leader of Shropshire Council, said he had spoken with Mr Paterson on Thursday before his resignation.

"I think he resigned because [he] and his family had just had enough and I think with losing his wife Rose, and all the pressure and sadness that brought, sometimes people just get to a point where they say 'I've just had enough, I'm walking away'."

He added: "Owen, in my own experience, was a decent, hard-working MP and it's a tragedy that it's ended like this."

Mr Paterson was found to have broken lobbying rules and was facing suspension until Tory MPs blocked it, calling instead for an overhaul of the MPs' standards watchdog.

Number 10 initially backed members' stance but when both sides of the House raised concerns it would look like corruption to the electorate, Downing Street reversed its position.

Mr Paterson said following his resignation he wanted a life "outside the cruel world of politics".

Mr Paterson was first elected MP for North Shropshire in 1997

Duncan Kerr, of the Green Party which leads Oswestry Town Council, said the resignation was the "wisest course of action".

"I pay tribute to [Mr Paterson's] service but given the evidence against him, he's done the right thing."

• In full: Owen Paterson resignation statement

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Mark Pritchard, Conservative MP for the neighbouring Wrekin constituency, said: "Setting aside the details of the allegations levelled against Owen Paterson, I want to put on record my thanks for his near quarter of a century service to the people of North Shropshire.

"Owen was a hard-working MP who fought valiantly over many years for many good causes and was an important and effective voice for Shropshire but I respect his decision to resign."

Mr Paterson's former constituents have also been sharing their views. Megan Clowes told the BBC: "I think it's right to be honest - if he's done what they said that he's done then it was only going to happen anyway and then they've forced it. I think it's right, I think he should have stepped down."

Julie Roberts added: "[It] is one of those things that if he's guilty then he's been found out."

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Mr Paterson, 65, was first elected MP for North Shropshire in 1997 and had a majority of almost 23,000 at the last general election.

He was made Northern Ireland secretary in 2010, moving to become environment secretary in 2012.

His wife Rose, chair of Aintree racecourse, took her own life in 2020. The couple had three children.