Summary of story in the Byline Times
Omnisis polled a representative sample of the population from 4 to 5 November and found that:
- 58% of respondents believe that Boris Johnson’s administration is corrupt.
Of those who voted for the Conservatives in the 2019 General Election, 37% of those surveyed said they believe that the Government is corrupt, while 32% disagreed.
Respondents were polled in a week when the Government and the Conservative Party have been embroiled in controversy over former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson, who was found guilty of attempting to lobby on behalf of two private companies that paid him more than £100,000 a year.
- 79% of voters polled by Omnisis said that MPs should not be allowed to have second jobs with private companies while working in Parliament.
Byline Times revealed that the 59 Conservative MPs who led the charge to defend Paterson – against a 30 day suspension from Parliament recommended by the parliamentary standards commissioner as a result of his “egregious” lobbying – cumulatively earn more than £1 million a year from second jobs.
This belief is consistent throughout the political spectrum, with 79% of 2019 Conservative voters polled, 80% of Labour voters, and 82% of Liberal Democrats all agreeing that MPs should be prevented from having second jobs.
An overwhelming 93% of people polled by Omnisis said that an MP should immediately resign if found guilty of lobbying the Government on behalf of a private company, breaking parliamentary rules. Once again, this conviction was consistent among supporters of all political parties.
The Paterson affair is the latest in a long line of scandals related to the cross-pollination of the public and private sectors.
Byline Times has shown that at least £3 billion in COVID-related contracts have been awarded to firms owned by Conservative donors and associates, while a number of deals for personal protective equipment were given to firms without much experience of doing the job.
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