Our letter on MPs' second jobs

Alan Campbell MP
Leader of the House of Commons

29th August 2026

Dear Alan Campbell MP,

I’m sure we have something in common: we want to improve trust in our politics and our elected politicians.

A clear barrier to this is the perception that MPs might not be serving their constituents to their best ability if they’re busy earning massive sums of money through second jobs.

While only a relatively small number of MPs do this, their behaviour impacts the reputation of every politician, even those who are 100% full-time MPs.

When Labour came to power, it made it clear that it would act on second jobs. Earlier this year, the Government told the House of Commons that it is “committed to the principle that second jobs for Members of Parliament should be banned outside very limited exceptions, such as maintaining a professional qualification”.

These are fine words, but where is the action?

Instead we’ve seen the issue passed first to the Modernisation Committee and subsequently onto the Standards Committee. 

Two years has passed since the last election and it’s been many months since the Standards Committee has provided any updates on its work regarding second jobs.

As Leader of the House and Chair of the Modernisation Committee, we are asking for an update on what the Government will do about second jobs and when.

Everyone has waited long enough.

Yours sincerely,
Tom Brake

CEO, Unlock Democracy