A single mother earning minimum wage can have a sidehustle. Our MPs should not. Culture writer, Ayan explains…

Since he came to power in 2019, Boris Johnson and his government have been hit with a series of scandals that could have turned voters against him, but none seem to have caused irreparable damage so far. With this slew of otherwise career-ending revelations marring the Prime Minister’s time in Downing Street, a certain tangible apathy coats the coverage that Johnson now receives. It is a fatigue that is more than comparable to the Trump era in American politics, where every story was overshadowed and- more importantly- buried by the one that comes after it, limiting the time we would have to dissect the repercussions of the PM and his cabinet’s actions. This newest row over sleaze, including “egregious lobbying” by the veteran backbencher Owen Paterson on behalf of companies that paid him over £100,000 a year, has focused attention on moonlighting by MPs.

What this government does matters because your voice, vote, and expectations matter, and who our MPs are taking money from is vital as a question. This story of split interests in Parliament is not another embarrassing gaffe of the Johnson era, it has repercussions for the very standard that our public servants are held to. The premise of how a democratic government functions is one that is dependent on an unspoken social contract that takes place between constituent and MP- we entrust and conditionally transfer some of our rights to the government in order to better ensure that laws that benefit and safeguard us are passed.

It is understood that since we vote for and pay the wages of our representatives, protecting public interest should be the key motivator for the actions that our MPs and Prime Minister take. All of that has now been muddied by a parliamentary culture that encourages the freelancing of political loyalty to the highest bidder.

It turns politics into a profession that sits in the pockets of the few, instead of a public service that amplifies the voice of the people. Private enterprise is aware that MPs provide an irreplaceable  “in” into the inner workings of the British government. They can influence and pressure ministers- who are their friends and co-workers- into approving legislation that is desirable to the business that pays them an additional salary that can reach up to £100,000. If a former cabinet member, (or even Prime Minister as in the case of David Cameron) these MPs also understand how to navigate the dense political fog that envelopes the state. The repercussions, therefore, are immense for all of us. We must be able to know that if our MP stands up to ask an urgent question in the House of Commons, it is not to pressure their fellow parliamentarians into a position that benefits their private employers’ interests, but rather that your question on housing or student fees is addressed publicly so that something can be done.  

Since governments exist by the consent of the people with the objective to promote the public good, governments that fail to do so have failed to hold up their end of the social contract. It is unethical and it delegitimize the very core of our democracy to amass wealth from private players who hope to take advantage of our political system.

Making an annual salary upwards of £80,000, our MPs are not financially destitute and fare well compared to many of their own constituents, like the single mother from Greater Manchester or Bristol earning an average wage of only  £22,000 yearly. The argument that our MPs are not receiving enough compensation for their work is evidently unfounded. It is vital to recognise that there is no reason big enough to outweigh the need for a legitimate House of Commons, and there is no motivation important enough to explain away the disservice that-among others- Johnson’s party is doing the people he was sworn in to protect. The solution is simple: let’s review the salaries of our politicians, and issue an immediate ban on the taking up of second jobs.

The public interest lies in it. Our democracy depends on it.

credits

words — ayan artan

design — sâde popoola