Labour MP Chris Bryant, chair of the standards committee, has recounted the moment he feared democracy was at risk. On 3 November 2021, the Commons voted to suspend its own disciplinary process to protect Conservative MP Owen Paterson, who had been found guilty of paid advocacy. Bryant described the move as 'really dangerous' and said it felt like democracy was 'done for'.
Bryant, who represents Rhondda, has now published a book titled 'Code of Conduct: Why We Need to Fix Parliament – And How to Do It'. He argues that the current parliament is the worst in history, with 23 MPs suspended or forced to resign since 2019 for offences including sexual assault, harassment, and paid lobbying. 'That is statistically the worst record of any parliament in our history, by a long chalk,' he said.
Bryant also criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for misleading the Commons over asylum figures, noting that Sunak has not corrected the record despite requests. However, Bryant himself has faced criticism: he apologised in April 2023 for wrongly claiming in parliament that Nigel Farage had been paid £548,000 by Russia.
Despite the challenges, Bryant remains committed to reform. 'A lad said to me in the gym in the Rhondda, “If he gets away with this, there’s literally no point in voting ever again.” And that’s what the Owen Paterson moment felt like for me,' he recalled.
