Row over UK govt. corruption, MPs second jobs rumbles on
Saeed Pourreza
Press TV, London
The British government’s recent attempt at blocking the suspension of a corrupt Conservative MP has stirred serious debate in the public sphere. Chiefly among them, questions about how the country’s political system allows such corruption to happen and whether or not people’s representative to the country’s legislature should have a paid second job.
The end of a conservative MP’s parliamentary career but the beginning of yet another scandal for British government: Questions from the public about why the Johnson government forced through changes to the very investigative body that ruled conservative MP Owen Paterson had misused his position for more than 100k dollars a year:
The story of Own Paterson didn’t only lift the lid off of the so called Tory Sleaze, including corruption and sex scandals, it’s also brought into scrutiny another long standing issue: second jobs held by MP’s, already paid a generous more than 100k dollars a year.
It’s emerged that tens of MPs, the majority of them conservative, have handsomely paid second jobs. Among them, former attorney general, Geoffrey Cox who earned more than a million dollars in his second job advising a Caribbean tax haven so far this year.
The rules are very clear: if you engage in lobbying in parliament for those who pay you for your second job, you’re in breach of the parliamentary code of conduct. And to defend someone who’s been found guilty of it, can do huge damage:
The UK prime minister has so far refused to apologize over the sleaze row. British politics has been described as the Bermuda triangle. All parties have promised reforms to a system that allows corruption to take place under the veneer of democracy, but they have never seen the light of day.
The British government’s recent attempt at blocking the suspension of a corrupt Conservative MP has stirred serious debate in the public sphere. Chiefly among them, questions about how the country’s political system allows such corruption to happen and whether or not people’s representative to the country’s legislature should have a paid second job.
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