Government ditches plan to limit MPs’ earnings from second jobs in U-turn

Boris Johnson’s government has ditched plans to limit MPs’ earnings from second jobs in a major rethink over the issue which sparked a sleaze scandal at Westminster.

Ministers previously said they backed “reasonable” limits on earnings outside parliament following the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal and outrage over fellow Tory Geoffrey Cox making almost £1m from legal work in the past year.

But the government has now rejected the idea of imposing time limits on outside work as “impractical”, and said a cap on the amount earned would unfairly stop MPs doing jobs which do not bring “undue influence”.

In a submission to the Commons standards committee – currently consulting on new rules for second jobs – the government revealed that it did not want to see any such limits.

No 10 chief of staff Steve Barclay and Commons leader Mark Spencer said: “It is the government’s initial view that the imposition of fixed constraints such as time limits on the amount of time that members can spend on outside work would be impractical.”

They added: “The imposition of time limits would not necessarily serve to address recent concerns over paid advocacy and the primary duty of MPs to serve their constituents.”

On the amount MPs’ can earn, Mr Barclay and Mr Spencer told the committee: “In respect of a cap on earnings from outside work to impose such a limit could serve to prohibit activities which do not bring undue influence to bear on the political system.”

The senior ministers added: “Earnings from activities such as writing books for example, would not preclude members from meeting their principal duty to their constituents.”

It is a sharp contrast to remarks made by ministers in the wake of the Paterson lobbying scandal in October and November.

Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab said the plan to restrict second jobs “within reasonable limits” could see a cap place on earnings.

And trade minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan suggested that imposing a limit of between 10 and 20 hours a week on second jobs would be reasonable.

Despite ministers’ proposals about firm limits on either hours or earnings, Downing Street backed away from plans to control earnings in late November.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Mr Johnson was “not putting forward a set of proposals for parliament to follow” and changes would need to be agreed on a cross-party basis.

Mr Barclay and Mr Spencer said the government does still support reforms to restrict the type of second jobs MPs are allowed to take as part of a crackdown on lobbying – but did not offer any suggestions as to what prohibited work should be.

The committee on standards, chaired by Labour MP Chris Bryant, has said that MPs should be banned from “paid parliamentary advice, consultancy, or strategy services” as part of its proposals for a change in the code of conduct.

Mr Bryant’s committee has also raised the possibility of limits on outside earnings and the time MPs should be allowed to spend on second jobs, but has conceded that this would need cross-party backing.

Labour said it backed a ban on directorships and paid consultancy, and said MPs must get the chance to vote on measures put forward by the standards committee to “toughen up the system”.

Thangam Debbonaire, Labour’s shadow Commons Leader, claimed Mr Johnson had “repeatedly allowed his own MPs to put their own private business interests ahead of their constituents”.

She added: “He can’t just row back on his promises to tighten up the rules on second jobs just because he is in a spot of bother with his backbenchers.”

Several Conservative MPs have responded to the committee by rubbishing proposals to limit to second jobs.

In his own submission, Tory backbencher Craig Whittaker described some of the committee’s ideas as “just plain ridiculous” and “barking mad”.