Sunak says government ‘needs to do better’ on MP standards

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government “needs to do better than we did last week”, in handling rules on MPs standards.

It comes after they were forced to make a U-turn following widespread outrage over their attempt to block the punishment of Tory MP Owen Paterson for paid lobbying. In recent days, Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Cox has been accused of using his Commons office for paid legal work.

Speaking to the BBC’s Economics Editor Faisal Islam, the Chancellor said that it’s “absolutely right” that independent parliamentary processes are followed “to the letter.”