MPs should be banned from giving paid parliamentary advice – report

MPs should be banned from giving paid parliamentary advice or consultancy services, a long-awaited report into MP standards has recommended.

It is understood up to 35 MPs would be impacted by a crackdown on second jobs. MPs must now have a written contract for any outside work, which makes explicit that their duties cannot include lobbying Ministers or MPs.

The MP’s Standards Committee are also calling for lobbying rules to be tightened so MPs can’t take part in proceedings that would benefit someone they are receiving money from. Currently MPs cannot start such proceedings (for example initiating a debate or presenting a bill) but they can usually take part in them.

The Chair of the committee Chris Bryant has called the new measures “robust” and says they will “uphold and strengthen” standards in parliament.

The report comes after the case of former MP Owen Paterson, which triggered a row over MPs second jobs.

Following the Paterson backlash the government…