Should UK MPs be allowed second (or even third) jobs whilst serving MPs?

Nannarose

I think it should be very limited. Given the precarious nature of the job, I think some sort of allowance needs to be made for keeping up skills. I also think that the odd shift in a hospital or anything similar would help to keep them in touch. An occasional article in a newspaper or magazine can be useful as well. But it shouldn't be difficult to keep it to a small number of hours, and a limit on earnings.

They wouldn’t do a shift at a hospital 😆
I don’t think they should be allowed to have several jobs, it could influence them. And why should they be given time to keep up their skills. Others can’t do that. Being an MP should be a full time job in itself.

Being MP should be a full-time job, but as it may only last for until the next general election, I suppose in all fairness that you cannot expect all MPs to resign from whatever job they did before getting into parliament.

So those who have to, or feel they have to retain some connection to whatever job the already have, should be able to do so on a part-time basis.

But in fairness to the electorate, all MPs should be made aware that their first duty is their political work, as long as they sit in parliament.

MPs should have some sort of contract which requires a minimum amount of attendance in the house of commons and at surgeries. Then people like Nadine Dorries and Matt Hancock couldn't go off and do TV programmes in the jungle for huge payments during parliament.If a minimum amount of work was required then some outside work would be ok.

They made a laughing stock of the democratic process. I think the problem with allowing part time work outside of keeping professional requirements up is where do you draw the lines, it's impossible to practically.

3 hours a week being a director of a company that has political interests amounts to lobbying, and imagine the situation if 100's of MP's had their own TV shows? Definitely a no to both of those

They wouldn’t do a shift at a hospital 😆

Wouldn't they?

members.parliament.uk/member/4573/registeredinterests

MPs should be subject to the same rules as others. If they can't attend parliament without a very good reason then they should be subjected to penalties. Parents of school age children are subjected to penalties if they keep them out of school, a penalty imposed by parliament, they should apply similar rules to themselves. They should heve regular surgeries weekly for their constituents and provide sick notes etc if they have to cancel for whatever reason. Slap monetary fines on them for not completing a regular working week without good reason. Maybe then they will make more of an effort to do what they are being paid for and put their duty to the country before extra jobs.

No they still need skills especially Professional ones.
Also how many are local Councillors, that's another job.
My Son has been approached several time to stand as an MP, he can't afford to take a pay cut , with the cost of housing in his area.

I didn't realise you could be an MP and local councillor. That doesn't sit well with me.

I do accept that MP's with families living in very expensive constituencies may need relevant expenses carefully defined.

Wyllow3

I didn't realise you could be an MP and local councillor. That doesn't sit well with me.

I do accept that MP's with families living in very expensive constituencies may need relevant expenses carefully defined.

Our new MP is also a local councillor, quite likely she will stand down at the next local election, until then does both jobs and gets both salaries.
A single bedroom flat free is enough in my opinion, they can upgrade at their own expense if they need to, they also get expenses which cover traveling.

MPs who are nurses or doctors for example, need to keep working to maintain skills and keep their registration. Apart from that sort of issue, no, they don't need high powered highly paid jobs that take them away from what they have been elected to do. Maybe they need to be paid more as MPs though.

No they should not. If they haven’t time to represent and work for their constituents they should not be allowed to be MPs. I’ve never heard of MPs here moonlighting. I didn’t think they were allowed to.

missdeke

MPs should be subject to the same rules as others. If they can't attend parliament without a very good reason then they should be subjected to penalties. Parents of school age children are subjected to penalties if they keep them out of school, a penalty imposed by parliament, they should apply similar rules to themselves. They should heve regular surgeries weekly for their constituents and provide sick notes etc if they have to cancel for whatever reason. Slap monetary fines on them for not completing a regular working week without good reason. Maybe then they will make more of an effort to do what they are being paid for and put their duty to the country before extra jobs.

👍

As far as I know there is no requirement for more than token attendance for MPs...they have no contract for work

That's interesting, I wonder if other countries do for their elected representatives?

missdeke

MPs should be subject to the same rules as others. If they can't attend parliament without a very good reason then they should be subjected to penalties. Parents of school age children are subjected to penalties if they keep them out of school, a penalty imposed by parliament, they should apply similar rules to themselves. They should heve regular surgeries weekly for their constituents and provide sick notes etc if they have to cancel for whatever reason. Slap monetary fines on them for not completing a regular working week without good reason. Maybe then they will make more of an effort to do what they are being paid for and put their duty to the country before extra jobs.

To begin with, MP's do not have regular hours of work. It is not a 9 - 5 job and never has been. The average MP works 60 hours a week, plus 8 hours travelling
www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/the-first-100-days-a-survival-guide-for-new-mps

Another interesting link gives you a timetable for an average MP's day assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b3a23d2ed915d33c1a7888b/An_MP_s_typical_day_-_research_by_Prof_Emma_Crewe.pdf

If they were all like him, Monica ! (average day)

First article is interesting.

No, not just because it takes a lot of time being an MP but also because some have had lucrative second, third or more jobs some of which may have influenced the way they vote in Parliament, like Owen Paterson.

www.bigissue.com/news/politics/how-to-find-out-if-your-mp-has-a-second-job-and-how-much-they-get-for-it/

I don't care how many jobs they have as long as they pay the correct income tax for the total amount they are earning. Whatci do disagree with, and always have, is the expenses they claim for 2nd homes. Rent, council tax and broadband so they can work from there but decorating, utilities, heating or insurance no way.

A District councillor does not have an onerous task I they are also an MP most of the constituency affairs coincide in any case, MPs don’t attend parliament all day or indeed every day, unless they are a portfolio holder there is time to do both.

In a word NO!*

I would expect that doing an MP's job properly would take well over 40 hours per week and could easily occupy every waking moment if conscientious MPs allowed it to.
I certainly don't think things like running a business, having a directorship, or appearing on TV reality/quiz shows should be allowed.
Doing sufficient hours to maintain professional registration is about the only legitimate exemption I can think of.

M0nica

missdeke

MPs should be subject to the same rules as others. If they can't attend parliament without a very good reason then they should be subjected to penalties. Parents of school age children are subjected to penalties if they keep them out of school, a penalty imposed by parliament, they should apply similar rules to themselves. They should heve regular surgeries weekly for their constituents and provide sick notes etc if they have to cancel for whatever reason. Slap monetary fines on them for not completing a regular working week without good reason. Maybe then they will make more of an effort to do what they are being paid for and put their duty to the country before extra jobs.

To begin with, MP's do not have regular hours of work. It is not a 9 - 5 job and never has been. The average MP works 60 hours a week, plus 8 hours travelling
www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/the-first-100-days-a-survival-guide-for-new-mps

Another interesting link gives you a timetable for an average MP's day assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b3a23d2ed915d33c1a7888b/An_MP_s_typical_day_-_research_by_Prof_Emma_Crewe.pdf

These are just examples. All mps should be duty bound to complete full working weeks. Frequently we see empty benches where there should be bums on seats doing their duty to their constitueants. My MP is also a minister, I emailed him over 2 years ago regarding a problem, I received a reply from his secretary/employee saying he would look into it, yet every time I have reminded that I am still waiting for it to be looked into I have been fobbed off with a similar answer. He is never seen in and around our village in all the time that he has been the MP. Never held a surgery, or done anything useful for us.

Being an MP is a full time job and given that most have to travel back and forth to their constituencies and have some sort of family life I wonder where the time would come from to accommodate a second job or indeed where the mental bandwidth would come from. Surely if the job of MP is being done properly it should take up any slack that’s left after travelling and rejuvenation time with family. If MPs need to retain skills they can do voluntary work where it’s needed and thst will help to keep their feet on the ground.

missdeke Parliament is just a debating house. Where MPs get up and have their say, but what ever is said there is highly unlikely to change the way anyone votes and if they all demand to speak they will be luck to get a chance to speak as frequently as once a month.

Parliament, whatever its iconic status is just a talking shop. The work of government and regulating government is what is happening in meeting rooms all round the place. in cabinet offices, in phone calls to ministries and outside bodies to resolve constituent issues.

Personally, if my MP is working 60 hours a week at the process of governance and serving hs constituents and never goes near the debating chamber, I will be more than satisfied.

I mean a clever and lazy MP could be present in the chamber every day, all day, saying nothing and then blame his time in the House as the reason he is not giving his constituents the servic they expect. His excuse being that he is in parlament all the time.

If you consider that the average MP working 60 hours, is lazy and not pulling his weight. How many hours should he work?

I mean 60 hours means 10 hour day, if he takes a break at weekends, or nearly 9 hours if he works weekends as well.

How many hours did you work?

M0nica I know they have many and varied duties but they should be accountable to their constituents, which mine certainly isn't.

As to how many hours I worked, at my last job I worked 6 days a week, I generally worked one 36 hour shift then every other working day at least 8 hours with frequent work in the evening and no overtime paid. So probably between 70 and a 100 hours a week plus admin duties.