ONE of Sir John Butterfill’s Conservative colleagues in the Commons has described his appearance on the Dispatches programme as “toe-curling”.

Desmond Swayne, Tory MP for New Forest West, said MPs in all parties were furious after the programme, which showed politicians discussing payment for lobbying work once they had left the Commons.

Mr Swayne said of Sir John’s appeance: “It was toe-curling watching. An elderly gentleman being led by the nose by an attractive young woman as he boasted to her. Isn’t that what it was about?

“That’s what I sat and watched – him boasting of his influence. I thought it was toe-curlingly awful.”

Mr Swayne added: “We’ve been through the mill with expenses and the vast majority of MPs behave themselves quite properly and to have the side dragged through the gutter by some complete and utter twerps, there’s a great deal of anger about.” Of Sir John’s remarks about a peerage, he said: “Dream on!”

Annette Brooke, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid-Dorset and North Poole, said of the atmosphere in Westminster: “The Labour MPs were just so angry with their colleagues.

“To me, it underlines the need to clean up parliament. There have been recommendations from a committee about lobbying and none of them have been implemented. The government has got to get a grip on this and have really strict rules.”

Jim Knight, employment minister and Labour MP for South Dorset, said MPs were angry about Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon, the ex-cabinet ministers who featured in the programme. He said the next Labour manifesto would promise more regulation of political lobbying.

“Beyond the damage they’ve done to their own government, they do us all as politicians and as Labour politicians a huge amount of damage because the vast majority of us come into this to serve the public, not to serve ourselves, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to persuade people that that’s the case,” he said.