Miliband challenges Cameron to back ban on MPs' second jobs

Ed Miliband attempted to turn the tables on David Cameron today by challenging him to support a ban on MPs having lucrative second jobs.

The Labour leader had been on the defensive over union influence in his own party, but in a speech this afternoon he threw down the gauntlet to Mr Cameron.

Any move to block MPs’ outside earnings would hit Tory members hard — some rake in hundreds of thousands of pounds a year on top of their £65,000 MP’s wage.

The official Register of Members’ Financial Interests shows Stephen Phillips, Tory MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham turned over £740,000 from his work as a barrister last year. The register reveals Kensington MP Malcolm Rifkind made about £250,000 from sitting on several boards.

In a speech to the St Brides Foundation in London, Mr Miliband said: “Can it really be right that the rules allow MPs to earn hundreds of thousands of pounds from private legal practice while they’re supposed to be an MP? Or from outside corporations, without any real form of regulation?

“We will change things in the next Parliament. That is why I believe that at the very least there should be new limits on outside earnings.”

Mr Miliband said he had nothing against MPs writing articles or giving speeches as it allowed them to connect with the world outside Parliament.

But he added: “Being an MP should not be a sideline. It’s a privilege and a duty and the rules must reflect that. And I urge other parties leaders to respond to this call to change the system.”

Other Tory MPs apparently in Mr Miliband’s firing line include Wokingham’s John Redwood, who made more than £220,000 last year according to the register, and Tim Yeo, the South Suffolk MP.

He stood aside as chairman of a select committee last month, while claims that he used the role to help a company influence Parliament are investigated. He earned about £150,000 on top of his MP’s salary last year.