There will soon be no hiding place for MP's second jobs

“We can only restore voters’ trust and confidence in the politics if we are open, honest and accountable”, said David Williams, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Crewe and Nantwich.

David was commenting after the Government announced the Parliamentary Standards Bill, aimed at cleaning up politics. The Bill introduces a statutory Code of Conduct for MPs relating to financial matters.

MPs will be subject to new criminal offences for knowingly making a false claim, failing to register interests or breaking rules on paid advocacy.

David Williams continued, “Public confidence in the entire political system has been badly shaken by revelations about the misuse of MPs expenses and allowances. The system has been shown to be fundamentally flawed and this Bill goes along way to putting it right.

“A few weeks ago I made five specific promises to the voters of Crewe and Nantwich about how I would conduct myself, if I had the honour of representing them in the House of Commons. I am happy to say that my personal commitments go further than the measures in today’s Bill.

“I am not seeking to enter the House of Commons for personal gain. I will stand up for the people of Crewe and Nantwich and give them a strong voice in Parliament.”
David Williams’ five key promises are:

- I will be a full-time MP, working only for the people of Crewe and Nantwich, with no second job.

- I will not profit from the second homes allowance, because I will only rent accommodation in London.

- I will live in the constituency, which will be my main residence and the family home. No flipping.

- I will not employ or pay money from parliamentary allowances to any member of my family.

- I will publish all my income and expenses claims forms, as they are submitted, so they are available to local voters and the media.

David Williams concluded, “On July 1st MPs will be forced to publish details about their second jobs. According to press reports some MPs are ditching their second jobs as quick as they can, rather than tell their constituents what they have been up to. I urge all MPs to come clean and let the voters judge for themselves.”