Labour MPs have called for parliamentarians to be banned from holding second (and in some cases third, fourth and fifth) jobs, in the wake of Owen Paterson’s resignation following the finding of the parliamentary standards committee that he took over £100,000 a year to represent two companies in Parliament.
Deputy leader Angela Rayner has called for a ban on lobbying jobs, while others have said that any second jobs should be banned because being an MP should be a full-time occupation.
They’re right. Here’s how much Keir Starmer earned recently from his ‘moonlighting’, as pointed out by leading left-winger Howard Beckett:
In his busy MP’s schedule, Keir Starmer found time to do more than 100 hours of highly paid sideline-work.
Starmer’s defenders such as right-winger Luke Akehurst have tried to deflect the obvious conclusions by claiming that his earnings relate to work done before he was party leader:
But of course, they highly unlikely to relate to work done before he became an MP in 2015, which is the real point.
As so often, the Labour right is up to the same things as many Tories – in this case treating their job as an MP as one income stream while they spend time on other earning opportunities. And the list of Labour MPs holding at least one extra job is an extensive one.
Calls for MPs to concentrate exclusively on being MPs are correct. But the so-called ‘opposition’ front bench is in no position to point fingers.
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But…but…. They can’t afford the paycut!
And, of course, you wouldn’t attract the best talent…
And in their desperation they’d be forced to go for Black money and become genuine Mafia. Some degree of honesty I suppose?
30 MPs who could be affected by proposed consultancy ban
As the Commons standards committee plans to review regulations here are the MPs earning money for advisory work
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/nov/07/30-mps-who-could-be-affected-by-proposed-consultancy-ban
There are some entries that make you wonder about the MP’s qualifications and/or suitability for the post.
eg Failing Grayling is a strategic adviser to Hutchison Ports Europe, earning £100,000pa for 336 hours
Most MPs have their snouts firmly in the trough. Jeremy Corbyn was a notable exception. One of the reasons why he was hated and feared by the PLP was that he would have tried to put a stop to their shameless accumulation of personal wealth via consultancies, newspaper articles, book deals etc while allegedly serving the electorate- many of our MPs are millionaires, some are multi millionaires.
Keir Starmer is a multi millionaire but multi millions are not enough for him – he’s greedy and still wants more as the figures above show. Therefore there is no chance he will want to curtail the extra curricular activities of MPs as any curtailment would hit him directly and where it hurts – in his pocket.
Skinner, too, was an exception.
I didn’t know that Goldbach but I fully accept what you are saying
No second jobs for MPs, declare all lobbying: how Labour can fight corruption Jon Trickett
Great article by Jon Trickett. “The people should be sovereign – but it is the power of wealth that is steering the UK’s course. A few simple but strong measures would fix that”
@Tony
I’ll bite.
1) No one is forced to accept a ministerial post.
2) It is a well known possible obligation of being an MP.
3) It is not work for the private sector, who by their very nature employ public servants to gain advantage. Usually in the shape of tax payers money.
Can anybody explain why the media never seems to reference the Inquest of Rose Patterson? What did the Coroner find? Did s/he comment on the sad fact she died on Mr P’s birthday? Did Mr P give evidence and if he did what did he say?
Patterson gave evidence at the inquest,he told the coroner he could think of no reason why his wife should have committed suicide. Not too long ago he was interviewed on Woman’s Hour about the suicide he again stated he could think of no reason for his wife taking her own life.
Thank you. He’s a shit of the first order IMO.
This is like the 2009 expenses scandal again. All MPs need to be stopped from holding these lucrative extra posts that are clearly a conflict of interest. MPs should be working for their constituents not some private CEOs and shareholders.
That’s assuming they really “work” those hours, which I’m far from convinced they do. It looks to me like bribes passing as worked hours.
They either sign on the dotted line as a well paid MP with lots of so called expenses and a gold plated pension that as no resemblance to a State pension or…..Sling their hook,bloody parasites infesting the Labour party.and sponging off members hard earned money and free Labour to get them elected…The nerve of these imposters in the House of Horrors is damming
If he worked *70 hours*, two full weeks, in August this year paid at £250/hr it would explain why he has been missing in action as Leader of the opposition. How is it physically possible to give two full weeks works when one is working full time in such a demanding job as MP (while also taking noble unpaid roles for charities)???
I think it’s obvious for any casual observer that he did not really work those hours and it has all the appearance of bribes. Bribes passing as “work” in order to give it a look of legitimacy.
Don’t get me started on charities.
– So, Mr Starmer, what sort of legal advice did you give?
– I advised my clients on how to influence parliamentary committees recommendations in their favour. You know, to avoid my clients potential costs increases due to new regulations.
– And what about consultancy work?
– Well, for remuneration, I link my clients to MPs who will defend their interests in parliament and committees.
– Which MPs?
– Well, myself of course…
“Keir Starmer found time to do more than 100 hours of highly paid sideline-work.”
See, self-isolation IS necessary.
On this subject Sir Keir is acting more like a member of the so-called elite than a member of the public . I also suspect he has never had the untested but ’emergency’ enabled contents of a pfizer or az chemical vial injected into his person (“too f*cking dangerous”) either or actually bothered to undertake any test of any type for the disease that has a 98.6 – 99.8 pc survival rate.
Shudda said “to optionally undertake….” As an MP he will have had to undertake the mandated tests of course, since it was the HoC which passed the legislation that enabled tand sustains this entire charade.
Please, use this OpenDemocracy link to write to your MP and tell them not to slacken anti-sleaze rules
@Ben
It is corruption. Bribery and other sweeteners are well known around the world. Here in the UK, home of democracy ©®, people wouldn’t be so crass as to be seen handling stuffed brown envelopes liike they do in less developed countries such as America or Australia.
Take Osbourne. 7 jobs. One is a half day a month…pay is astronomical for each one.
The whole system is utterly corrupted, from all sides too.
DoubleDownNews and monbiot aggree with you nvla. Well worth watching (less than 5 mins).
It’s clearly obvious to anyone taking the time to look indeed. One just needs a bit of life experience to know the impossibility to work 70 hours on top of a full time job when one has a family, like Sir Keir Smarmier. Or that 2 days/month work is not really worth +100k/year like in the case of Patterson.
Did anyone hear Sir John Major this morning on R4 News program?
He spoke very well about the Tories record – I was cheering .. He
went right back to the prorogation of Parliament, the breaking of
lots of treaties, the danger to Northern Ireland ** and much else.
** I would like to ask him though – assuming that he respects
that there is division amongst Communities and that they do not by any
means speak with one voice – an example being Northern Ireland
why does he not agree that the same is true of the Jewish Community?
The company Owen Patterson ‘worked’ for gained tax exile status just before getting a government contract.
Patterson is also linked to Dido Harding and the Jockey Club.
https://twitter.com/TheCraneReport/status/1456245255968280576?t=9kMIaQmqLecQ5Pe7KHU9lQ&s=19
According to OpenDemocracy the average income of MPs from “second jobs” is around £10,000 p.a.
So they’re already getting their state pension plus a bit on top of their salaries.
Surely some mistake.
Many a time I’ve heard MPs (mainly Tory ones) MPs have to be employed outside Parliament. If they didn’t they’d lose touch with the outside world. Surely being an MP by working in your constituency you gain experience and have contact with the public you’re supposed to representm. It’s an excuse for them to earn as much as possible through various consultancies, directorships and board members. There’s probably others, apart from the Labour MP who worked/s in a care home I’ve yet to hear others say I’m just going down the road to help out the community by doing a job that doesn’t pay £1000s annually.
Just watched Monbiot DD News recommended
previously. I had forgotten DEsmonds tax avoidance
attempt connived at by Tory minister!
Concerning John Major this morning and my comment, a
further question I would like to ask is about the great
stench of sleaze that is associated with the current City
of London. What does Major think about billionaire oligarchs
using it to launder their ill-gotten gains?
What is most sinister is the inter-relationship of barristers within Doughty Street Chambers (Adam Wagner) & EHRC.
Not ‘sinister’ maybe Just the way these things work? Adam Wager is definitely a corbyn-hating zealot though.
Adam Wagner, Head of Doughty Street Chambers & legal representative of CAA & colleague of Sir Keir Starmer, but that’s just the way things work?
Yup, ‘sinister’. You’re right.
Well, some MPs do have second jobs as ministers.
Would you ban that as well?
Lots of people have second “jobs” where they work for free. I know this is an unusual concept for MPs, but if they “need” to keep in touch with the real world, then they could do what their constituents do – go and GENUINELY help out at the foodbank/care home/school/parish council/law centre. Indeed, they could try out lots of different places, where they would meet a large cross section of the community. Why do they believe someone should be paying them thousands/tens of thousands/hundreds of thousands? Why would anyone do that, if not for using them and their position to financial advantage?
I would suggest that MOST of us do that to a greater or lesser extent – but NOT MPs (unless it’s for a photoshoot).
The mps should be in HMP Strangways to make sure that they don’t loose contact with were they belong.
As per usual, Starmer’s glaring hypocrisy doesn’t seem to register with the man himself.
He’s also quietly watered-down Corbyn’s 2019 manifesto commitment to ban 2nd jobs altogether by the looks of things. As of now, any ban would be limited to those in ministerial roles – which has never been an issue anyway because of the ministerial code of conduct etc.
MPs with outside paid employment always point to MPs who are GPs for cover, because they know it’s the safest bet to point to highlight those among them whosework is clearly valuable to wider society. But the vast majority of paid employment among MPs would be classed as entirely for personal enrichment only.
Meanwhile, on the subject of outside interests, Labour party membership expulsions continue for actions or associations with an organisations before they were proscribed – almost certainly in breach of the law. It also raises questions as to how the Labour party is coming into possession of membership lists from those other organisations?
It would be a vast improvement if we could get MPs to do their FIRST JOB!
So as recently as this August, 2021, Starmer was paid £17.6K for work that he did in 2019 or earlier, while he was an MP and (from memory) a shadow minister. And of course there was a GE in 2019..Approx 70 hours billed at approx £250 per hour. Clearly this is a man who keeps his financial affairs in good order. Unless of course the late receiipt is some kind of tax evasion?
Dear oh dear, why do we all put up with this kind of nonsense? Supposedly they work for us, and they are taking the p*ss nonstop.
Need a new Left Wing Democratic Socialist Party which has MPs that get the average workers wage are not allowed 2nd jobs.
Need Socialist fighters who see it as a calling and not a career.
Need a new Left Wing Democratic Socialist Party which has MPs that accept the average workers wage and are not allowed second jobs.
Socialist fighters who see it as a calling not a career.
Otherwise employed MP’s could well be serving society more than they thought possible?
Does not the £17000 figure reflect earrnings in 2020-2021, when he was Labour leader? It is definitely when two-facded Starmer was an MP anyway and should have been working full time for constituents. The Nutcracker of the left Akehurst is talking through his posterior canal..
Actually, to be fair to Starmer (though lord knows why, given his current actions), these payments could well be for work done many years ago, and either before he became an MP or for cases he was already involved before he became an MP. Barristers often have to wait several years to be paid for work.
What’s odd is that a QC and ex Chief Prosecutor is paid only £250. You would expect it to be about £750 minimum because that’s the going rate. Junior barristers (non QC’s) get less. £250 smacks of keeping your head down in case questions are asked. Over charging (or not actually doing the hours claimed) is very common as you might imagine and difficult to contest. Now and again they are contested. One good case featured a QC who claimed for more hours than existed between him taking the brief and concluding the case!
It would be a great improvement if we got rid of MPs. Their moonlighting flows directly from the history of parliament. It wasn’t established to look after the common folk. For centuries it was occupied by landowners. It’s tradition is that of a place where the wealthy make the laws that keep the rest of us in place. It’s naive to imagine that simply because a party calls itself Labour, it will overthrow that tradition. Parliament is attractive to the sharp-elbowed, the egocentric and the greedy. The modest, unpretentious people who manage to get there are few. And the on-the-make culture sucks everyone in. Why do we need an elite of law-makers paid several times more than the average? Can’t we make laws for ourselves? Flatten the hierarchies and federalise. Stop passing power from the grassroots upwards. Let’s have real democracy.