MPs have given a litany of bizarre excuses for keeping their high-value second jobs, with one claiming a ban on work would stop them seeing their children.
Several MPs submitted written evidence as part of the parliamentary standards committee’s consultation over changes to the MPs’ Code of Conduct, launched in the wake of the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal in November.
The former Tory MP broke parliamentary rules by lobbying on behalf of two companies from whom he received at least £500,000 in payments. In response, Boris Johnson proposed setting limits on MPs' second jobs and banning paid consultancy work, which Tory MPs unanimously voted in favour of.
