MPs set to be banned from taking up lobbying and adviser jobs

MPs will be banned from moonlighting as lobbyists or advisers as part of a crackdown on politicians’ second jobs under Labour.

Lucy Powell, the new Leader of the House of Commons, vowed to ‘change the tone’ on standards in Parliament following a string of recent scandals.

Labour are not seeking to introduce a total ban on MPs having second jobs, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer touted in 2021.

But Ms Powell suggested a new test would be introduced so that MPs’ other employment must meet a commitment of ‘putting your constituents first’.

Labour are expected to close loopholes that allow MPs to hold paid lobbying or advisory roles as long as they relate to policy or how Parliament works.

There are set to be exemptions for MPs who need to keep qualifications up to date, including nurses or doctors, and for speaking, writing or media presenting roles.

MPs will be banned from moonlighting as lobbyists or advisers as part of a crackdown on politicians’ second jobs under Labour

Lucy Powell, the new Leader of the House of Commons, vowed to ‘change the tone’ on standards in Parliament following a string of recent scandals

Sir Keir Starmer made a 2021 promise to restrict MPs’ second jobs in the wake of former Tory minister Owen Paterson being found to have broken lobbying rules

An undercover investigation by The Times newspaper saw former Tory MP Scott Benton filmed saying he was prepared to leak market sensitive information to a bogus investment fund

Ms Powell is seeking to establish a ‘Modernisation Committee’ to consider reforms to Commons rules and working practices.

She told the Guardian that Labour was intent on ‘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’.

‘It wasn’t totally focused on the Conservatives… we saw that in the election campaign, we all heard that on the doorstep.’

Sir Keir once pledged to ‘ban all second jobs for MPs, with very limited exemptions’, while Labour’s manifesto commited to ‘an immediate ban on MPs from taking up paid advisory or consultancy roles’ as an ‘initial step’.

Ms Powell said 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,’ she added.

‘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.’ 

The newspaper reported that MPs will have three months to get their affairs in order.

Sir Keir made his 2021 promise to restrict MPs’ second jobs in the wake of former Tory minister Owen Paterson being found to have broken lobbying rules.

It was ruled by a Commons watchdog that Mr Paterson ‘repeatedly used his privileged position’ to benefit Randox, a clinical diagnostics company, and Lynn’s Country Foods, a meat processor and distributor, as part of his £110,000-a-year private sector work.

Shortly after, it was revealed how Sir Geoffrey Cox – a former attorney general – voted by proxy in the Commons while earning hundreds of thousands of pounds for legal work more than 4,000 miles away in the Caribbean.

In January last year, Sir Keir defended Labour MP David Lammy, now the Foreign Secretary, for earning £200,000 from second jobs over the course of three years.

A Sky News and Tortoise Media analysis found MPs made a total of more than £17million from outside work during the last parliament. 

Sir Keir said Mr Lammy’s outside earnings came from ‘media work and writing books’, which he added was ‘all part of the political process’.

In May this year, Labour won the Blackpool South by-election that was prompted by the resignation of Scott Benton as the constituency’s MP.

It came after an undercover investigation by The Times saw Mr Benton filmed saying he was prepared to leak market sensitive information to a bogus investment fund.

He also offered to lobby ministers on behalf of gambling investors – who were actually newspaper reporters posing as business representatives – in exchange for payment.