British lawmakers propose tightening parliament's code of conduct rules
Reuters
Published May 24, 2022 22:40
Updated May 24, 2022 23:02
LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers on Tuesday proposed changes to parliament's code of conduct to tighten the rules around lobbying in response to a scandal over MPs getting paid for external work that raised concerns over conflicts of interest.
Last year Conservative lawmaker and former minister Owen Paterson resigned after being found guilty by parliament's standards watchdog of repeatedly lobbying for two firms, which paid him nearly three times his annual salary.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially sought to change parliamentary conflict-of-interest rules over the Paterson affair, sparking an outcry and eventually a U-turn. It led to Johnson denying that Britain was a corrupt country.
Parliament's Committee on Standards published its recommendations for reforms, including a new Code of Conduct for members of parliament (MPs), which they must now approve.
"The last year has shown that the public cares passionately about standards in parliament – and so do MPs," Chris Bryant, Chair of the Committee on Standards, said in a statement.
"Our report sets out a package of robust new measures to uphold and strengthen standards in parliament by improving transparency, tackling conflicts of interest, tightening the rules on improper lobbying and providing an enhanced means of appeal."
Currently, lawmakers cannot initiate parliamentary proceedings where they have a current financial interest, but they can participate in them. The report finds the distinction "unhelpful, is liable to abuse and is not well-understood by members or by the public", and recommends it should be removed.
The recommendations also say that ministers should disclose all benefits and hospitality that they receive, as other lawmakers do, instead of having a ministerial exemption.
It also proposes an outright ban on lawmakers providing paid parliamentary advice, consultancy or strategy services, and says any outside work should have a contract that makes explicit that their duties cannot include lobbying.
Get The App
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.