BORIS Johnson has proposed banning MPs from acting as paid political consultants or lobbyists as he tries to stem the Tory sleaze row.
The Prime Minister released a two-page letter on Twitter which he has sent to the Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle which also suggests the code of conduct for MPs to be updated.
It also calls for MPs prioritising outside interests over constituents to be investigated and appropriately punished.
It comes just hours after Leader of the House and Johnson ally Jacob Rees-Mogg came under fire in the House of Commons for his role in the sleaze row.
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SNP MP Pete Wishart said that Rees-Mogg’s position was “totally and utterly untenable” after he pushed through an amendment which intended to establish a review of the MP standards investigation process.
The move was co-ordinated after Tory MP Paterson was found to have been paid £100,000 to lobby ministers and officials on behalf of two companies.
The row led to further revelations about the scale of income gathered by Tory MPs through second jobs and caused outrage amongst the public.
And now, Johnson has suggested stricter rules for MPs in a bid to stem the growing row and allegations of corruption against his government.
In the letter, dated Tuesday November 16, Johnson (pictured) noted that “concerns have been raised” about the outside interest of MPs and said the “vast majority” of MPs work “tirelessly for their constituents”.
He said: “That is why it is imperative that we put beyond doubt the reputation of the House of Commons by ensuring the rules which apply to MPs are up to date, effective and appropriately rigorous.”
Johnson added that the code of conduct for MPs should be updated, stating: “An MP’s primary role is, and must be, to serve their constituents and to represent their interests in Parliament.
“Any MP who falls below the standards required can of course be investigated by the Parliamentary Commisioner for standards.”
I have written to the Commons Speaker to propose:
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 16, 2021
1) The Code of Conduct for MPs is updated
2) MPs who are prioritising outside interests over their constituents are investigated and appropriately punished
3) MPs are banned from acting as paid political consultants or lobbyists pic.twitter.com/3SSQqrKRCG
The PM then set out suggestions based on the Committee on Standards in Public Life report on MP outside interests published in 2018.
It argued for the code of conduct to be updated to include that, “any outside activity undertaken by a MP, whether remunerated or unremunerated, should be within reasonable limits and should not prevent them from fully carrying out their range of duties”.
It also adds that MPs should be banned from accepting work which proves services as “a Parliamentary strategist, adviser or consultant, for example, advising on Parliamentary affairs or on how to influence Parliament and its members”.
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It states that MPs should not accept payment or offers of employment to act as Parliamentary consultants.
Johnson added: “Amending the Code of Conduct for MPs is rightly a matter for Parliament itself, rather than the Government.
“However, the Government believes that these two recommendations form the basis of viable approach which could command the confidence of parliamentarians to the public.
“It is a matter of regret the House has not yet taken forward these specific recommendations given their relevance to recent events and the Government would like to see them adopted as a matter of urgency.”
The row erupted after Johnson and Rees-Mogg attempted to stop Owen Paterson, pictured, from being suspended
Signing off the letter, Johnson said changes to the code of conduct should be made on the basis of “cross-party consensus” across the House of Commons.
It comes as Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer was due to detail his bid to force a potentially damaging vote for the Government on taking action to tackle sleaze.
And, the letter was released just hours after former Prime Minister Theresa May warned that damage had been done to “Parliament as a whole” by the way Paterson’s standards case had been handled by the Government.
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