Members of parliament who earn the most from second jobs speak in fewer parliamentary debates, submit fewer written questions and miss more votes than other MPs, according to research by the Labour party.

The research, which looks at the 20 highest-earning MPs, shows that they spoke in 22% fewer debates in parliament over the past year than the average for parliamentary colleagues – 29 debates compared with 37.

The highest-earning MPs submitted 39% fewer written questions than those without second jobs – 37 compared with 61. They were absent from parliament for an average of 373 votes, 7% more than other MPs, who missed an average of 347.

The research comes after the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, called for a ban on MPs holding directorships and consultancies, and a cap on MPs’ earnings from second jobs. Labour is expected to include the ban on MPs’ second jobs in its election manifesto.

Labour plan to curb MPs' outside work could affect 90 parliamentarians Read more

Miliband’s call came after journalists at the Daily Telegraph and Panorama secretly filmed former foreign secretaries Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind discussing ways in which they could use their positions as politicians to help a fictitious Chinese company in return for thousands of pounds.

Straw, who had already announced his intention to stand down as MP for Blackburn in May, suspended himself from the parliamentary Labour party. Rifkind, who is MP for Kensington, announced that he would not contest the general election and would stand down as chair of parliament’s intelligence and security committee.

Both MPs referred themselves to Kathryn Hudson, the parliamentary standards commissioner, who said that if she decided to conduct an inquiry the ensuing report would not be completed until after the election in May.

Of the 20 MPs who earn the most from second jobs – with second salaries ranging from £87,500 to £452,545 – 16 are in the Conservative party, three are with Labour and one is a Liberal Democrat. The basic annual salary for an MP is £67,060.

Of the four MPs who earn the most from second jobs, three are Conservative MPs who are QCs – Geoffrey Cox, Sir Edward Garnier and Stephen Phillips – and the other is the Labour former prime minister Gordon Brown, who earns the second highest amount at £390,157. Cox is the highest earner, with £452,545.

Responding to the research, a Conservative party source said: “There is more to representing constituents than sitting in Westminster submitting endless written questions and enjoying the sound of your own voice. All the same, it’s good that Labour finally want to draw attention to Gordon Brown’s contemptible failure to turn up during this parliament.”



Sheila Gilmore, the Labour MP for Edinburgh East, accused the prime minister of “weakly defending a broken system”.

Gilmore, who sits on the public administration select committee and the work and pensions select committee, said: “All MPs should focus on their constituents’ interests, not their own. David Cameron is once again failing to stand with working people who want to see change. We have a chance to restore trust in politics, but David Cameron is failing to take action.”

Brown claims he makes no personal gain from outside earnings and that they either go directly to charity or to fund the “ongoing involvement in public life” of himself and his wife, Sarah.

According to an Opinium/Observer poll from 28 February, 40% of the electorate would be happy if MPs’ salaries went up if it meant that they were banned from making outside earnings, while 34% disagreed. This is up from June 2013, when 36% said they agreed and 39% disagreed.