Commons prepares for more outcry over MP's finances
Jun 16 2009 by Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Post
An MP is to give up hundreds of thousands of pounds from his work with a City bank, as the Commons prepares for a fresh wave of controversy over MPs’ finances.
Andrew Mitchell (Con Sutton Coldfield) is to quit as a director of Lazards, the international investment bank.
He said he had always planned to give up many of his outside interests in the run up to the General Election, which must take place next June at the latest.
And Mr Mitchell said it was a good thing for Parliament and the country as a whole if MPs had experience of other spheres of life, including business.
However, his announcement comes as the Government plans to force every MP to provide full details of how much they earn outside the Commons, and how much time they spend on second jobs.
From July 1, MPs will have to disclose every last detail of their earnings. It could spark a fresh round of controversy as voters learn that their MP, who is paid a basic salary of £64,766, is spending hours of their time on something else.
Conservatives have accused Gordon Brown of turning the spotlight on second jobs in an attempt to embarrass them. For example, William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary and Mr Cameron’s deputy, has been criticised for making large sums from speaking engagements. But the new rules will also turn the spotlight on Labour MPs such as John Reid, the former home secretary, who now chairs Celtic Football Club. Former health secretary Alan Milburn is a non-executive director of healthcare firm Diaverum, and has set up his own consultancy.
Mr Mitchell insisted his decision to step down had nothing to do with the expenses row or Mr Brown’s plans. In a statement to colleagues at Lazard, the MP said: “Having first joined Lazard 30 years ago, straight from university, I have decided with sadness that now is the right time to step down.”
Mr Mitchell has also written to Sir Christopher Kelly, the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, urging him not to clamp down on MPs with outside interests.
He said: “Recently the House of Commons has decided that there should be a requirement to register the hours and remuneration of all commercial interests regardless of whether they have anything to do with our parliamentary roles. I believe this was proposed by the Prime Minister for narrow party political reasons. I believe outside interests – properly declared and registered in an accessible and transparent way – are important for the future of parliament. In my experience in over 18 years in the House of Commons, there is no correlation between the output of an MP with outside interests and those without on behalf of the constituents.”
