Westminster standards watchdog calls for ban on MPs working as paid consultants
MPs should be banned from working as paid political consultants and ministers should need to more clearly record potential conflicts of interest, according to parliament’s internal standards watchdog.
A new proposal from the House of Commons’ Committee on Standards also calls for MPs to have written contracts for any outside work that says they cannot lobby for their employers in the wake of the Westminster sleaze scandal.
The committee also called for a limit on how much time MPs can spend working in outside jobs and how much they can earn from them.
The watchdog’s call for a ban on paid political consultancy jobs overlaps with Boris Johnson’s proposals that were introduced earlier this year.
Johnson’s proposals also call for MPs to be held accountable if they spend too much time working in outside jobs and neglect their duties as an MP.
Labour, meanwhile, wants all second jobs to be banned except for in very limited circumstances.
Committee chair Chris Bryant said: “The past few weeks have seen a number of issues raised about MP’s standards, but the key overarching issue here is about conflict of interest.
“The evidence-based report published by my committee sets out a package of reforms to bolster the rules around lobbying and conflicts of interest.
“These aren’t the final proposals we’re putting to the House. This report is the committee’s informed view on what changes we need to tighten up the rules and crack down on conflicts of interests following a detailed evidence-led inquiry.”