Tory MP Andrew Bridgen suspended from House of Commons over 'significant' lobbying breaches

MPs have agreed to suspend a Tory MP after he was found to have displayed a “very cavalier” attitude to the rules in a series of lobbying breaches.

Andrew Bridgen will be suspended from the Commons for five sitting days from Tuesday.

The Standards Committee recommended the suspension for offences including an “unacceptable attack upon the integrity” of standards commissioner Kathryn Stone.

He had appealed against the recommended suspension in December, but this was dismissed by the Independent Expert Panel "on all grounds".

At the time that the punishment was recommended by the cross-party committee, the MP had said that he was “extremely disappointed” with the findings but added “I accept them and will comply with them as required to do so”.

He was also found to have breached the MPs’ code of conduct “on registration, declaration and paid lobbying on multiple occasions and in multiple ways”.

Mr Bridgen should have told ministers and officials of his relationship with Cheshire-based firm Mere Plantations as he made multiple representations.

He received a donation, a funded visit to their teak plantation in Ghana and had a £12,000-a-year contract as an adviser.