Sir Keir Starmer has said Boris Johnson has “corroded trust” in MPs after a U-turn on reforming the disciplinary system for MPs and veteran Tory Owen Paterson’s breach of lobbying rules.

The Labour leader told an emergency debate in the Commons that the prime minister gave the “green light to corruption” last week when Conservatives were given a three-line whip to support a proposal to set up a new committee, chaired by a Conservative MP, to draw up plans for a new appeals system.

However, only 250 MPs backed the proposal and opposition MPs vowed to boycott the committee before leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg announced a U-turn, saying any reforms to the standards system would need cross-party support.

We can expect to see some pretty ferocious attacks on the government from MPs during the three-hour long debate, including the possibility of some disquiet from the Conservative benches.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been scathing of Boris Johnson’s decision to dodge the session, accusing him of “running scared”. But there could well be questions about Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the House of Commons.

He was the key government figure at the despatch box last week when they were trying to force through a rule-change to offer a reprieve for Owen Paterson, before they were forced into an embarrassing U-turn.

But it won’t be Mr Rees Mogg speaking today. Instead, Steve Barclay, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will be making the government’s case. Mr Barclay would be advised to avoid the suggestion this whole row is “a storm in a teacup”, as Environment Secretary George Eustice did yesterday. If opposition MPs were furious before the weekend, Mr Eustice’s comments means they are fuming now.

MPs also chose not to back the cross-party Standards Committee’s call for a six-week ban from parliament for Mr Paterson, but hours later he resigned as an MP saying the situation was too much for his family.

Sir Keir told the Commons, from where Mr Johnson was notably absent: “Instead of repairing the damage he has done, the prime minister is running scared.”

He added that Mr Johnson was acting on the basis of “self-preservation not the national interest”.

Hours before Monday’s Commons debate, Boris Johnson declined to apologise for his handling of the scandal surrounding Mr Paterson and said it is “very important” to get the standards system right.

Watch live: Emergency debate on MPs standards amid Owen Paterson row

Watch live: Emergency debate on MPs’ standards amid Owen Paterson row

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The PM is not attending the debate as he had a prior visit booked at a hospital in Northumberland and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay is responding for the government.

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In a sign that the controversy could be affecting support for the government, an Ipsos MORI poll puts Labour on 36% and the Tories on 35%.

Satisfaction in the way the PM is doing his job has fallen five points since September (39% to 34%), while 61% are dissatisfied with his performance (up 10 points in the same time span).

The telephone poll was conducted over the course of seven days. The vote on whether to spare Mr Paterson suspension and the subsequent government U-turn, only occurred in the final three days of the polling period.

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