Readers on Britain’s elected representatives making millions of pounds through second jobs
Too many MPs are treating their job as a springboard to a lucrative sideline (MPs paid £10m for second jobs and freelance work over past year, 6 August). This practice debases the high office they hold and, by extension, parliament itself. It seems we can no longer count on altruism and vocational motivation in our elected representatives. Therefore it’s time we professionalised the role of MP, to make the post-holder accountable to taxpayers and ensure that they provide excellent value for money. After all, we foot the bill for their wages, expenses and premises.
In most jobs, performance management is used, starting with a clear job description and professional standards to be met. For MPs, this should include mandatory attendance when parliament is sitting, participation in debates when important issues are being considered, giving speeches and answering constituents’ letters, making public appearances, and tackling casework. Annual appraisals, from which basic attendance data is made public and performance targets set, would enable constituents to decide whether they had made the right selection at the ballot box.
