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Paisley suspension hits May’s majority

DUP MP Ian Paisley was suspended from the Commons for 30 days yesterday after failing to declare £50,000 of holidays courtesy of the Sri Lankan government.

He could be forced to stand down and face a by-election if 10 per cent of his constituents sign a petition to recall him, but Mr Paisley has pledged to fight for his seat if it happens.

Mr Paisley’s suspension will reduce Theresa May’s wafer-thin majority, paid for with a £1 billion bung to the DUP, until November as the government tries to pass key Brexit legislation.

The North Antrim MP was forced into a grovelling apology last week after he was found to have broken the rules on paid advocacy by writing to David Cameron in March 2014 to lobby against support for a UN resolution on human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.

The DUP suspended Mr Paisley “pending further investigation into his conduct.”

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