Owen Paterson has resigned as an MP after a row over his conduct led to a government U-turn.

The Conservative was found to have broken lobbying rules and was facing suspension – until Tory MPs blocked it by calling for an overhaul of the MPs’ standards watchdog instead.

They initially had the backing of No 10, but Downing Street reversed its decision after a furious backlash.

Mr Paterson said he now wanted a life “outside the cruel world of politics”.

In a statement, the 65-year-old, who has represented North Shropshire since 1997, said the past two years had been “an indescribable nightmare for my family and me”.

He said his integrity had been “repeatedly and publicly questioned”, and claimed he was “totally innocent” of breaking lobbying rules.