Parliamentary Standards Bill

But my prediction is that there will be still fewer rebellions if the Bill goes through in its present form. Ministers know full well that very few Members who work part-time for charities or for businesses, or as doctors or at the Bar, will be able to fend off the exhibitionists and fanatics who grovel before the voters in every constituency pledging that, unlike the sitting Member, they will sit in their parliamentary office writing e-mails 24 hours a day. Those are promises that some—perhaps many—of them will not keep, leading to further disillusionment with politics and politicians. Ministers—including the Justice Secretary, I am sure—will of course ask why MPs should not, in the interest of openness and transparency, declare how many hours they work outside Parliament. To that, there is only one answer. To use a phrase that the Justice Secretary used earlier: what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Let those on the Treasury Bench who are moonlighting declare how many hours they work outside the House rather than working here on behalf of their constituents, just as any other Member of the House will have to do under the terms of the Bill.