Andrew Mitchell: MPs should publish their tax returns

My colleague Andrew Porter reveals today that Andrew Mitchell has resigned his Lazard directorships (six of them) and issued some pungent words about Gordon Brown’s shifty approach to outside interests. The Conservative international development spokesman says he had always planned to take this step ahead of a general election, although he does not say whether he would have waited until the day before polling day. Certainly, he has acted before the new rules come into force, which means we won’t know quite how many hours he devoted to his City work or how much it earned him (presumably he is also giving up his £35-£40k/pa post as adviser to Accenture). His decison will put pressure on others in Shadow Cabinet to follow suit.

I have been critical in the past of Mr Cameron for tolerating such a large number of part-timers in his front-bench team. Not because there’s anything wrong with outside interests, but because getting rid of Labour should occupy every waking moment – and even dream time – for those in the top team. Mr Mitchell is right when he points out that the decision to require MPs to register both the hours and the pay for their outside work was rammed through by Mr Brown for narrow party political reasons”. And he makes a telling point: if Sir Christopher Kelly endorses the restriction on outside interests, as he hinted he will yesterday, then every MP should disclose his tax return.