November 29, 2021 - Transparency International UK welcomes the House of Commons Standards Committee’ review of the conduct rules for MPs. The report recommends numerous changes TI-UK have called for over the last five years, including:

• a ban on MPs holding second jobs as political strategists
• tightening the existing ban on paid lobbying
• making members’ financial interests more transparency by publishing them as data, like is the case for political donations

Steve Goodrich, Head of Research & Investigations at Transparency International UK said:

“It’s high time Parliament got its House in order, and this report sets out a roadmap for how it can do just that. It’s lamentable that key reforms to prevent corruption in politics have to come off the back of yet another scandal, but at least there’s a clear view of how MPs can make amends for lost time. To help restore confidence in the probity of our politicians, these much-needed changes to Parliament’s rulebook should be implemented without delay.”

“Transparency is critical to providing accountability over MPs outside interests, yet the way in which Parliament publishes these details is more reminiscent of the nineteenth century. If you wanted to find out how much time MPs are working on outside jobs, and for how much, it’d take you weeks instead of the seconds it should to find this out. We agree with the Standards Committee that Parliament must digitise these records so it’s easier to spot any conflict of interest between MPs personal and public roles.”