Best of 2021: 'If you get £200k lobbying, being an MP is the second job'

25 December 2021, 09:00

Eddie Mair caller snaps at Paterson affair

By Seán Hickey

The Tory sleaze scandal reached a boiling point at the end of 2021, with this caller sharing a thought-provoking conversation with Eddie Mair.

LBC will be with you across the festive period with a range of special shows and guests - you can listen live on Global Player.

A plethora of scandals embroiled the Conservative party in 2021, but following the Owen Paterson affair, LBC listeners were infuriated.

Former Conservative MP Owen Paterson was under fire from the public and the opposition benches after the Standards Committee found he was in breach of parliamentary rules by receiving money from Covid-19 testing company Randox. Mr Paterson was found to have also used his office in the Commons for private meetings with the company.

After the findings, the government moved to reform the standards process in order to effectively get Mr Paterson off the hook, an idea which was scrapped after mass outcry.

This Eddie Mair caller perfectly summed up the public's anger at the situation, explaining why trust had been irreparably broken.

Thank you for listening to LBC through the year, from Eddie and the whole of Eddie Mair's team have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Listen to the whole call above.