North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson resigns

In a statement, he said that after consulting his family, and with much sadness,
he had made the decision to resign.

Paterson was facing a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons and a potential byelection, over a finding he had accepted payment for lobbying activities but insisted he was innocent

Yesterday, Conservative MPs - passed a motion in favour of ignoring Mr Paterson's month-long Commons suspension.

The government was then accused of "corruption" in seeking to overhaul parliament's standards rules in an alleged effort to protect the Conservative North Shropshire MP.

In the face of a huge outcry, the government performed a U-turn earlier today.

Statement of Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP:

I have today, after consultation with my family, and with much sadness
decided to resign as the MP for North Shropshire.

The last two years have been an indescribable nightmare for my family
and me.

My integrity, which I hold very dear, has been repeatedly and publicly
questioned. I maintain that I am totally innocent of what I have been
accused of and I acted at all times in the interests of public health and
safety. I, my family and those closest to me know the same. I am unable
to clear my name under the current system.

Far, far worse than having my honesty questioned was, of course, the
suicide of my beloved and wonderful wife, Rose. She was everything to
my children and me. We miss her everyday and the world will always be
grey, sad and ultimately meaningless without her.

The last few days have been intolerable for us. Worst of all was seeing
people, including MPs, publicly mock and deride Rose's death and
belittle our pain. My children have therefore asked me to leave politics
altogether, for my sake as well as theirs. I agree with them. I do not want
my wife's memory and reputation to become a political football.

Above all, I always put my family first. This is a painful decision but I
believe the right one. I have loved being the MP for North Shropshire
and have considered it a privilege to have been elected to serve my
constituents for 24 years. I would like to thank my staff who have
worked for me so loyally over many years. I also want to thank those
who have stood by me so staunchly. I wish them all the best in that
difficult but vital job of being a Member of Parliament.

I will remain a public servant but outside the cruel world of politics. I
intend to devote myself to public service in whatever ways I can but
especially in the world of suicide prevention.

At this incredibly difficult time for my family, we ask that the media
respects our privacy and lets us grieve my beloved Rose, the best person I
ever met.