A FORMER Green Party parliamentary candidate and Shropshire councillor says North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson should resign rather than face a recall petition.

Mr Paterson is facing a potential 30-day ban from Parliament after a Standards Commission investigation found he had breached lobbying rules on behalf of Randox and Lynn's Country Foods.

Mr Paterson, who has been North Shropshire MP since 1997, angrily denied that he had broken any rules, stating that he was acting in the public interest and is likely to appeal the findings.

However, Duncan Kerr, who stood against Mr Paterson for the Green Party in the 2015 and 2017 General Elections and is an Oswestry town and Shropshire county councillor, says the Conservative must go.

He said: "It is a very sad day when the parliamentary standards committee determine that for the last six years our local MP has placed the interests of the companies who employ him above his duties to the people of North Shropshire.

"The result has been a tragedy for him and for faith in democracy.

"The wisest course of action would be for him to resign rather than face the further ignominy of a recall petition."

The investigation by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone found he repeatedly lobbied ministers and officials on behalf of the two companies, for which he was acting as a paid consultant.

The Commons Standards Committee said his actions were an “egregious” breach of the rules on paid advocacy by MPs and recommended that he should be suspended for 30 sitting days.

Mr Paterson has also received the 'unwavering' support of the North Shropshire Conservative Association.

However, if Mr Paterson's ban is upheld, a recall election can be called if more than 10 per cent of registered voters in the constituency signed a petition.