Sleaze: Tory MPs ‘to be targeted with digital ads if they vote down Labour plans to clean up politics’

Keir Starmer says rival Conservative motion will ‘water down’ clampdown on MPs’ second jobs

(PA)

Tory MPs who fail to back Labour’s demands for restrictions on second jobs in a crunch vote today will be targeted with digital ads in their constituencies, a spokesperson for Keir Starmer has warned.

The party hopes to drive home charges of Conservative sleaze by accusing any who vote against the plans of standing in the way of efforts to clean up politics.

Labour has accused Boris Johnson of using “dirty tricks” in a bid to water down their proposals, after the PM tabled a rival motion which would not be binding on the government.

But parliamentary rules mean that MPs will vote on Labour’s motion first at around 7pm today. Only if that is defeated will a division be held on the proposals dramatically announced on Tuesday by the prime minister.

Both the Labour motion and Conservative amendment call for a ban on MPs working as a parliamentary strategist, adviser or consultant.

But Downing Street says that Mr Johnson’s plan is tougher as it also proposes a ban on second jobs which take an unreasonable amount of MPs’ time away from constituency and parliamentary work.

However, Labour says that its motion is binding because it sets a timetable for reform and requires parliamentary time to be made available in the New Year for it to be enacted.

By contrast, they warn, Mr Johnson’s scheme would kick the issue into the long grass, as it asks the Commons Standards Committee to draw up detailed proposals by the end of January but makes no commitment to put them into law.

Sir Keir’s spokesman said: “If Tory MPs vote against our motion they are voting against swift action on political consultancies.

“If I was a Tory MP, I would think very seriously before voting against Labour’s plan to clean up politics.

“We will be making that a campaign issue straight away after the vote today.

“We have got the digital ads ready to go in these constituencies, to tell voters that their MP voted against cleaning up politics.”