Nigel Farage has lashed out at plans being drawn up by MPs that could ban him from hosting his GB News show.
Lucy Powell, Leader of the Commons and chairman of the newly formed Commons Modernisation Committee, has tasked officials with looking into politicians’ media appearances as part of a wider effort to improve levels of public trust and remove conflicts of interest.
The Government has already launched a crackdown on second jobs by banning MPs from providing paid advice on policy or how Parliament works.
But it has stopped short of clamping down on media roles despite growing controversy over the use of sitting MPs as news presenters, particularly on GB News.
Mr Farage, leader of Reform UK, received almost £82,000 last month for 32 hours of work as a presenter for the start-up broadcaster, with funds paid to his company Thorn in the Side.
Reform MP Lee Anderson is paid an annual salary of £100,000 for eight hours a week as a host on GB News.
Mr Farage hit out at the plans on his show last night, saying he and Mr Anderson would not be “bullied” into leaving their presenting jobs.
He said: “I don’t see any conflicts of interest whatsoever. In fact, I might make an argument that’s slightly different; that I’m here with a panel of people. Some agree with me, some disagree with me. We have an open debate.
“I’d like to think that through programmes like this, what we actually do is take what’s really happening in politics and bring it to a bigger audience. So I think it’s complementary.”
Labour politicians have also held paid media roles.
David Lammy, shadow foreign secretary at the time, was paid more than £44,000 for appearances on LBC last year, while MP Jess Philips received more than £11,500 by Sky for TV appearances and hosting podcasts.
Ms Powell said the committee should consider “what advantages, if any, outside paid engagements such as media appearances, journalism and speeches furnish to the public, versus the potential conflicts of interest and attention that arise from such paid endeavours”.
She said the MPs would aim to work closely with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards on any potential rule changes.
Overhauling standards was at the top of the list of priorities published by the committee on Thursday after 16 MPs were suspended from the last parliament for at least one day – more than in the previous five parliaments combined.
The committee will examine options to change the culture of parliament in an effort to address “cultural issues of bullying and harassment and sexual harassment”.
This will include potential new rules on how complaints made by Commons staff against MPs are handled.
In a note setting out its priorities, the committee said: “Members across the House will know that the events of recent years and the misconduct of individual members has eroded public trust and confidence in this institution.
“It is incumbent on all of us to embody the high standards that the public expect of us and we must all act to change and improve the reputation of this place.”