Prohibiting Members of Parliament from having paid second jobs

That this House welcomes the presentation of the Members of Parliament (Prohibition of Second Jobs) (Motion) Bill as a positive contribution to the debate on ending paid second jobs for MPs; notes with concern that MPs have reportedly received more than £11 million in outside earnings since the last General Election, with around two-thirds of that income going to just 10 MPs; believes that this, and examples of MPs earning in a few hours what many nurses, teachers and other workers earn in an entire year, undermine public confidence in politics; further notes the strong public support for banning MPs’ second jobs, except for very limited exemptions, including where outside work is necessary to maintain professional qualifications; also notes that Members of Parliament are among the highest-paid five per cent of workers in the country; further believes that being a Member of Parliament is a privilege and a full-time responsibility, that the role should not be treated as a springboard to lucrative outside employment, and that second jobs can create serious conflicts of interest; further welcomes the measures already taken by the Government to strengthen the rules around paid lobbying but believes that much stronger action is required to restore trust in politics, which has hit record lows in recent years; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislation prohibiting MPs from undertaking paid second jobs.