Boris Johnson has promised MPs a fresh vote on Owen Paterson’s suspension for an alleged breach of lobbying rules “as soon as possible” after performing an extraordinary U-turn.

Facing widespread outrage, the Prime Minister backed down on plans to prevent the senior Conservative’s immediate suspension by launching a review of the entire disciplinary system.

Mr Johnson was forced into a humiliating retreat after Labour and other opposition parties refused to take part in a “corrupt” Tory-led committee tasked with the review.

Now the Government whips are working to reschedule a vote on a six-week suspension for Mr Paterson after he was found to have repeatedly lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.

Conservative MPs expressed anger over the affair after they were ordered to back the controversial move that triggered a new sleaze row just a day before the U-turn.

The climbdown came shortly after Lord Evans, the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, condemned the plans as being “deeply at odds with the best traditions of British democracy”.

Moments later, Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg announced ministers would seek “cross-party” changes to the system after acknowledging a “certain amount of controversy”.

He also said the “link needs to be broken” between reforms and the case of Mr Paterson, the North Shropshire MP who has angrily denied the allegations that see him face a suspension from the Commons of 30 sitting days.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Rees-Mogg will come forward with further details “but we’re obviously seeking to bring forward a vote in the House as soon as possible”.

He was unable to say when the vote will take place, as the whips try to work out if it can be brought back before the House rises for a week-long recess on Tuesday.

The thinking within No 10 was that Tory MPs will not be whipped to vote a certain way at the next vote on Mr Paterson’s suspension.

Conservative Angela Richardson was sacked as a parliamentary private secretary to Cabinet minister Michael Gove after she abstained in Wednesday’s vote.

But on Thursday she said she was “pleased to be reappointed” after the U-turn.

Mr Johnson’s spokesman insisted the approach changed when it became clear cross-party consensus “wasn’t going to be possible”.

However, questions remained over the pace of his retreat because Labour, the SNP and the Lib Dems had all vowed to boycott what deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner called the “corrupt committee” on Wednesday.

Mark Harper, who was one of 13 Tories to rebel to vote against the plans, said the affair was “one of the most unedifying episodes” he has seen during his 16 years in Parliament.

“My colleagues should not have been instructed, from the very top, to vote for this,” the former chief whip said. “This must not happen again.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was sent out to defend the changes for the Government on Thursday morning.

He was accused of trying to “bully” the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone – who carried out the investigation into Mr Paterson – into resignation after suggesting she should consider her position.

Mr Kwarteng told Sky News: “I think it’s difficult to see what the future of the commissioner is, given the fact that we’re reviewing the process, and we’re overturning and trying to reform this whole process, but it’s up to the commissioner to decide her position.”

Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain accused the Tories of “governing like the mafia” by “targeting those who uphold the rules rather than those who break them”.

Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire said: “Having already ripped up the rules policing MPs’ behaviour to protect one of their own, it is appalling that this corrupt Government is now trying to bully the standards commissioner out of her job.”

It was not just opposition MPs who were outraged by the move, with dozens of Tories abstaining and 13 rebelling against orders to vote for a new committee led by former minister John Whittingdale, which would re-examine Mr Paterson’s case and whether a new standards system is needed.

Lord Evans, a former MI5 chief, told an Institute for Government event: “It cannot be right to propose an overhaul of the entire regulatory system in order to postpone or prevent sanctions in a very serious case of paid lobbying by an MP.

“And it cannot be right to propose that the standards system in the House of Commons should be reviewed by a select committee chaired by a member of the ruling party and with a majority of members from that same party.

“This extraordinary proposal is deeply at odds with the best traditions of British democracy.”

He went on to suggest Mr Johnson and others may have fallen foul of the Nolan principles on public life, which are contained within the ministerial code.

“The seven principles of public life that all governments have espoused for over 25 years require that ministers and MPs should show leadership in upholding ethical standards in public life,” he said.

“I find it hard to see how yesterday’s actions in any way meet that test.”