Labour is looking to “turn the page” on an era of sleaze and scandal by clamping down on MPs’ second jobs.
In an interview with the Guardian, Lucy Powell, the new leader of the Commons, said the party will severely restrict lobbying work and introduce new rules that ensure parliamentarians put their constituents first.
There will be carve-outs for MPs who need to keep professional qualifications up to date, including nurses or doctors, and for those who wish to pursue speaking, writing or media presenting roles.
But those taking on lucrative lobbying or advisory roles outside work while also serving their constituents will find their work prospects severely restricted.
It comes as part of efforts to “change the tone” on parliamentary standards after years of poor conduct that had undermined faith in British politics.
Speaking to the Guardian, Powell said: “Part of that is turning the page on that era of sleaze and scandal and cronyism and bad behaviour that then actually just became a plague on all our houses,” she said. “It wasn’t totally focused on the Conservatives … we saw that in the election campaign, we all heard that on the doorstep.”
On Wednesday, Labour will lay a motion to set up a new cross-party modernisation committee, chaired by Powell, designed to change outdated Commons procedures, drive up standards and improve working practices.
The measures fall short of a previous Labour commitment, dropped by Keir Starmer in 2021, to forbid MPs from taking any second jobs. However, they deliver on his manifesto pledge for an immediate ban on politicians doing paid advisory or consultancy roles, by closing loopholes.
Powell said there were “a number of high-profile cases in the last parliament of MPs taking those paid advocacy roles which were quite clearly related to their duties as an MP. So we’re going to remove both of those exemptions.” MPs will have three months to get their affairs in order.
Analysis by Sky News and Tortoise Media showed MPs made a total of more than £17 million from outside work during the last parliament, with Boris Johnson being the biggest earner, declaring £4.8 million in earnings from speeches and writing.
Theresa May was hot on his heels, earning more than £2.5 million, while David Lammy, who is now the foreign secretary, was the highest-earning Labour MP, with an income of £238,000 over three years from outside work.
“What I think we need to look at is meeting that commitment of putting your constituents first, being seen to put your constituents first, this being your main focus, and eradicating any perceived conflict of interest,” Powell said.
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