Praising David Laws won't make it any easier to bring him back

Laws has been suspended from parliament for seven days (Photo: PA)

David Laws will be suspended from the House of Commons for seven days. His real sentence is likely to be 12 months.

One year. That’s the best guess today about how long it will be before David Cameron and Nick Clegg can consider re-appointing Mr Laws to a ministerial post. The PM has said he doesn’t plan a reshuffle this summer, but most of his party expect him to refresh his ministerial ranks this time next year. If so, the thinking goes, Mr Laws could be a contender. But not before.

A few optimistic Lib Dems are still suggesting that if a Lib Dem Cabinet minister falls under the proverbial bus any time soon (Chris Huhne’s road-safety skills are under question at the moment, and few will entirely rule out Vince Cable failing to look both ways before crossing….) then Mr Laws would be a natural replacement. Personally, I think that’s unlikely, not least because there are – contrary to some accounts – other spare Lib Dems of talent. (Norman Lamb’s name springs to mind.)

Both Tory and Labour MPs, meanwhile, are spitting blood. They feel that Mr Laws’ transgressions are at least as bad as those some of their party colleagues, who suffered rather more permanent damage to their political careers.

But neither the Prime Minister nor some of his Cabinet colleagues are reflecting those views today. Instead, they are, once again, lavishing praise on Mr Laws.

Mr Cameron: “I do think he has a lot to offer public life. I hope he stays in public life.”

Mr Clegg: “David Laws is a good friend and a close colleague. We do need to look at the report but his motives, he has always been very open about his motives. They were about protecting his own privacy, not financial gain. I think that is very important when we pass judgment on people, is to look at the ‘why’ – not just the ‘what’, but also the ‘why’.”

Then there’s Dr Cable: “I’ve worked with him over many years and he’s a very able, talented person. I’m sure we will see him back.”

And Michael Gove: “It is my personal hope that we will all be able once more to make use of his talents in the country’s service before too long.”

To be frank, this stuff really, really annoys a lot of rank-and-file MPs. Many Conservatives in particularly are still sore about expenses; the older generation remember Mr Cameron’s almost unseemly rush to ditch them and their colleagues over their questionable claims in 2009. The sight of him and his allies bending over backwards to defend a man clearly found to have broken the rules does not fill their hearts with joy. Nor does it persuade many of them to think any better of Mr Laws. The sort of anger some MPs feel about Mr Laws’ treatment takes time to fade.

If Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron really want to rehabilitate Mr Laws, they would be well advised simply to shut up about him for a while.