Thank you for contacting me about Parliamentary standards and second jobs for MPs.

In the interests of transparency, MPs are obliged to register individual payments of more than £100 which they receive for any employment outside the House of Commons. They must also declare any relevant interests when speaking or submitting questions in Parliament. You can find the Register of Members’ Financial Interests online at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/contents2122.htm An outright ban on MPs having second jobs would catch those who, for example, still work as doctors and nurses; and I believe it would be very difficult to change the rules in a way that allows MPs in those roles to continue.

However, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has my full support in enforcing the existing rules against MPs’ parliamentary work being unduly influenced by any outside roles they might have. The Government has also committed to working on a cross-party basis to improve the standards system for future cases. Having refused to vote for the amendment (and amended motion) to effectively reject the Standards Committee’s report and recommendation in the Owen Paterson case, I am pleased that Parliament has now voted to approve the Committee’s report in that case, and that work to improve the standards system will not be retroactive or based on a single case. Ultimately, the primary job of an MP is to serve their constituents and represent their interests in Parliament.

I believe that each MP’s constituents are, therefore, best placed to judge their representative’s performance and commitment at election time.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.