THE UK Government's amendment on standards was approved in the Commons as MPs voted to back it.
The amendment was to a motion tabled by Labour on banning consultancies. Labour have claimed that the amendment waters down the proposals.
The Tory amendment was approved by 297 votes to zero.
It means that Westminster's standards committee will be tasked with coming up with recommendations by the end of January 2022 that prevent MPs from accepting paid work as consultants.
It also asks the committee to produce proposals on "outside activity undertaken by an MP" and says that this should be "within reasonable limits and should not prevent them from fully carrying out their range of duties".
Unlike Labour's motion, it does not say what will happen once the committee produces its recommendations.
Labour's motion, which would have had the committee produce rules on second jobs, was rejected with 231 votes in favour and 282 against.
The division list showed four Conservative MPs rebelled to support Labour’s standards motion calling for a ban on “any paid work to provide services as a parliamentary strategist, adviser or consultant”.
They were: Peter Bone (Wellingborough), Philip Hollobone (Kettering), Nigel Mills (Amber Valley), and Dan Poulter (Central Suffolk and North Ipswich).
The Government’s amendment “waters down” Labour’s calls for MPs not to have consultancy second jobs, shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire said earlier in the debate.
She told MPs: “The proposal which is in the amendment today, the only thing that is actually on offer to vote for from the Prime Minister, weakens, waters down, takes away the deadline, takes away the vote and the Leader of the House (Jacob Rees-Mogg) knows this.”
The Labour MP added: “The benches opposite need to accept that the time has now come, today is that day, they need to stand up and be counted if they want to follow through on what their Prime Minister said yesterday, they need to vote for the Labour motion today. Will they? We will see.”
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