This week Martin Salter, the Labour MP for Reading West, called on the Prime Minister to introduce rules in the House of Commons to bar MPs taking up paid second jobs.

Mr Salter was speaking in the House of Commons in response to Gordon Brown’s statement on Constitutional Renewal. He argued the case to end the centuries old practice of constitutional convention in favour of Britain adopting a formal written constitution. Mr Salter also repeated his call to end moonlighting by Members of Parliament. He said:-

“I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement on constitutional renewal and urge him to ignore some of the protestations of Conservative Members. Can we end, once and for all, the anachronism of constitutional convention, which is all too often used as shorthand for doing nothing or for resisting necessary change? Secondly, can he go a little further and end the scandal of MPs moonlighting to line their own pockets? We are paid a full-time salary for a full-time job and we should honour that.”

In reply the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said:-

“I believe that on 1 July all second incomes will have to be published, in the greatest of detail demanded by the House, by all Members who have second jobs and second incomes. I am glad that the House agreed, and that everybody was satisfied, that that was the right thing to do. The public will then be able to judge for themselves what is happening in that area. As for convention, there are some conventions, but the whole debate about a written constitution is about whether things that are seen as conventional should be made into statutes so that people are absolutely clear about their rights and responsibilities.”

Two years ago Mr Salter published an analysis of the Register of Members’ Interests which revealed that as many as 159 MPs (25%) were pursuing parallel careers in the city, the courts or with lucrative consultancies. He also introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill entitled The Members of Parliament (Employment Disqualification) Bill which would have require MPs to give up their second jobs whilst allowing them to pursue a range of other paid activities, including writing articles, work on behalf of charities or not for profit organisations and public policy development, which are broadly compatible with their Parliamentary duties.

Martin Salter’s research showed that MPs affected by the Bill would have included:

• 51% of Conservative MPs (99 in number)
• 26% of minority party MPs (9)
• 24% of Liberal Democrat MPs (15)
• 9% of Labour MPs (33)

Last month Mr Salter published a seven-point plan to clean up politics in the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal which also included a proposal outlawing second jobs or company directorships.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Salter said:-

“Members of Parliament receive a full-time salary of more than twice the national average wage. People simply do not understand how it can be right for a substantial number of MPs to only be working part time whilst drawing down a fulltime pay cheque. If the House of Commons is serious about re-establishing a decent reputation in the eyes of the public then steps should be taken to end the scandal of MPs moonlighting. It wouldn’t be tolerated in any other walk of life and it’s high time that some of these characters were made to choose between taking a seat on the board, or keeping their seat in the House of Commons.”