As a result of Paterson’s actions, he faced a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson seemed to defend Paterson through backing attacks to dismantle parliament’s anti-sleaze system. This caused major outcry from the public, the media, and other MPs, as Johnson’s actions were seen as “shameless” according to the Daily Mail. This caused Johnson to make a U-turn, withdrawing his support for Paterson, and it was announced that Paterson would resign from parliament, instead of facing a byelection and enduring his suspension.
Despite such damage control, the actions of Paterson and the reaction of Johnson have encouraged the widespread criticism of tory party sleaze— and it is not only opposing parties who have gotten behind this perception of the Tories, but the media, as well as the public. This was not helped by the fact that Boris has been told to apologize for his reactions multiple times, only recently confessing that the situation could've been handled 'better'.
The idea of the Tory party being ‘sleazy’ has been further perpetuated by Boris Johnson’ flat refurbishments, the bill for which having been settled by Lord Brownlow, a peer and a donor. This has raised questions around the influence that donors have over Tory MPs and the PM, encouraging a general perception of party sleaze, with former Prime Minister, John Major arguing that the government had participated in “politically corrupt activities.”
It is clear that party sleaze has encouraged a sense of discontent or distrust amongst the public
The controversies around the influence that donors have has not gone unnoticed by the general public, especially after the Paterson scandal. A recent poll has shown that the ratings for those who consider Boris Johnson a 'good Prime Minister' have suffered a drastic fall to 35 percent, Labour's unchanging 36 percent placing the opposition party in the lead.
It is clear that party sleaze has encouraged a sense of discontent or distrust amongst the public— an attitude severely detrimental to the reputation of both the Tories (more than a quarter of which have high paying second-jobs) and the Prime Minister, as well as having an apparent impact on the voting intentions of the British public.