Northern Irish MP Ian Paisley kicked out of Commons for record two months and could be thrown out permanently after breaking lobbying rules
The DUP big beast broke Parliament's rules after he lobbied on behalf of the Sri Lankan government
THERESA May's DUP ally Ian Paisley Jr was today handed a record ban from the Commons after breaking sleaze rules.
The senior MP will be suspended from Parliament for more than two months - and could lose his seat altogether.
The news is set to trigger a fresh political crisis for the PM, by reducing the size of her majority on Brexit policy.
The DUP big beast breached strict rules over lobbying around an all expenses paid junket from the government of Sri Lanka in 2013.
Mr Paisley later signed a letter of support for the country, without mentioning his luxury trip - valued at around £50,000.
Today a Commons sleaze probe has found this fell foul of the MP’s Code of Conduct, and the Standards Committee announced a “severe punishment”.
Mr Paisley won't be allowed to sit in Parliament for 30 working days, starting in September - meaning he'll have to stay away for more than two months.
The punishment is believed to be the strictest ever handed out to any MP. If it's approved by the House of Commons, it will trigger an automatic "recall petition".
That means that Mr Paisley will face a by-election if at least 10 per cent of voters in his Upper Antrim seat sign the petition requesting one.
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For as long as he is out of the Commons, the size of Mrs May's majority will be reduced by one - which could be a disaster for the PM given she's won Brexit showdowns by as little as three votes this week.
Last night The Sun was the first to report that Mr Paisley faced suspension over the sleaze allegations.
The DUP politician joined the Commons in 2010, taking over the seat from his father, Ian Paisley Sr, the firebrand preacher who founded the unionist party.
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