Badgers, Brexit and backbench lobbying: Owen Paterson's 24 years as North Shropshire MP
While Owen Paterson’s name will forever be linked to an ignominious departure from parliament there will be kinder memories from those in the county who supported him.
Synonymous with Brexit and now the murky practice of corporate lobbying, locally Mr Paterson had earned a reputation among many as a passionate advocate of his constituency, spending a 24-year career campaigning on a number of local issues such as broadband access, transport links and agriculture.
His time as Conservative MP included serving as environment secretary and Northern Ireland secretary.
It was during his environment position that he became most widely known nationally – for his claim that badgers were “moving the goalposts” as he attempted to organise a cull of the creatures.
Mr Paterson’s former agent, fellow Conservative and former leader of Shropshire Council Keith Barrow, said it was a sad end for a man who has been committed to serving the county.
He said: “I think he has been an excellent MP for North Shropshire and I think it is a shame that at times like this people revert back to political allegiance and say silly things – and it is a very sad way to end a distinguished political career.
“You add to the fact of Rose taking her own life and you think ‘how much can one family take?”
Former Shropshire Council deputy leader Steve Charmley added: “Over 24 years Owen has been easily accessible, extremely hardworking for the area. He has campaigned on all the big issues that affected the area and I hope that is what he is remembered for, rather than an inquiry that has ended his career.”
He added: “He has worked tirelessly for broadband connectivity, mobile phone signal, transport networks, agriculture, and a lot of people have a lot of respect for him and will continue to. There are those who have never liked him who will continue not to like him but that is life, he’s done an awful lot for North Shropshire and people should be grateful for it.”
For others Mr Paterson’s legacy is clear – highlighting the grubby side of political lobbying – with his former Labour general election opponent Graeme Currie saying: “Owen Paterson has not been a victim of this process, what he’s done is broken the rules of Parliament, he has dishonoured his constituents by working for other people, not them.”
He added: “Resigning was something that had to happen and I am glad he did.”
Local Green Party Councillor Duncan Kerr said: “It was probably the best course of action for him and our democracy. What it has lifted the lid on is that we have a Government prepared to change the rules mid-stream to save one of their own.”
Mr Paterson’s resignation came in the wake of a furore over the Government’s attempt to get him off a proposed 30-day suspension for an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules.
Mr Paterson faced suspension after he was found to have repeatedly lobbied ministers and officials for two companies - Randox and Lynn's Country Foods - paying him more than £100,000 per year.
He maintained his innocence but decided to quit after the Government U-turned on an attempt to set up a new committee to look at his case and the wider Commons standards regime.
Mr Paterson said the manner in which the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards’ investigation into his activities was carried out had “undoubtedly” played a “major role” in his wife’s suicide.
He has now stood down from his consultancy roles and is planning to spend his time with his family and working on suicide prevention.
Mr Paterson, 65, said his three children had urged him to leave politics following the “intolerable” last few days.
Mr Paterson was elected as MP for North Shropshire in 1997 and held a series of frontbench roles in opposition.
His first election was the closest he would fight, winning a majority of just over 2,000 during Labour's landslide victory under Tony Blair. His closest opponent was future Labour MP for Wrexham Ian Lucas.
Mr Paterson won six further times at general elections, most recently with a majority of nearly 23,000 or 40 per cent in 2019.
When David Cameron became prime minister Mr Paterson joined the Cabinet as Northern Ireland secretary.
He then moved to the environment department and was in that role when he faced questions about missing targets set for the badger cull programme aimed at protecting cattle from bovine TB.
Asked whether he had moved the goalposts, Mr Paterson said: “The badgers have moved the goalposts, you are dealing with a wild animal, subject to the vagaries of weather and disease and breeding patterns.”
Mr Paterson had insisted he was not an enemy of badgers, having kept two of them, Bessie and Baz, as pets.
He lost his Cabinet job in 2014 but continued to be a prominent MP on the backbenches, playing a key role in the influential Conservative pro-Brexit European Research Group.
In 2018 he suffered a serious back injury in a horse riding accident, ending up receiving treatment in a hospital he had raised money for by taking part in an epic trek across Mongolia.
Mr Paterson and Rose raised £60,000 for the unit at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen by riding in the Mongol Derby in 2011, which he described as the “toughest horse race in the world”.
