MPs Reject Labour Demand For Second Jobs Ban

The Prime Minister has rejected a call by Ed Miliband to "restore the reputation" of the House of Commons by stopping politicians from having second jobs.

Around 100 MPs debated whether MPs should be banned from holding paid directorships, consultancies and trade union roles.

But the Labour call for a ban was defeated in a Commons vote by 287 votes to 219 - a majority of 68.

The vote was forced following the cash-for-access controversy surrounding Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw.

David Cameron had defended politicians who take on extra work, saying: "What you want is a Parliament where people can come and share their experience and make some points instead of just having a whole lot of trade union-sponsored ciphers."

At Prime Minister's Questions Mr Miliband attempted to put pressure on Mr Cameron by offering a deal on paid trade union officials.

But he criticised Mr Miliband's proposals, saying they would allow paid trade union officials to be MPs but not those running a family business.

The Labour leader said: "But what is in the motion today is something very specific which is being a paid director or a paid consultant. I have said from this Despatch Box we will also ban people being a paid trade union official, the offer you made to me, I repeat the offer to you.

"Let's get it done, let's agree this to restore the reputation of this House.

"Yes or no?"

Mr Cameron pointed out that it was possible to have two jobs but added he spent more time on his duties as PM than on work linked to his seat in Witney, Oxfordshire.

He said: "We have practising doctors in this House, we have practising dentists, we have people who take part serving our country in Afghanistan or Iraq and we do have people who run family businesses or have other interests.

"What you want is a Parliament where people can come and share their experience and make some points instead of just having a whole lot of trade union-sponsored ciphers."

Mr Miliband highlighted comments made by Mr Cameron in 2009 when he said in an interview: "Double-jobbing MPs won't get a look-in when I’m in charge."

The row over second jobs comes on a day when figures from the Office for National Statistics show an increasing number of people were having to juggle zero-hours contracts to make ends meet.

Speaker John Bercow had to call for calm a number of times including to allow the Labour MP Rushanara Ali to ask a question about the three schoolgirls who fled the UK for Syria.

Mr Bercow told Sky News earlier that he took some of the blame for the bad behaviour at Prime Minister's Questions .

There has been increasing criticism of the format of "Punch and Judy" politics and calls for the sessions to be reformed.