Boris Johnson has been accused of “dirty tricks” in a furious new row over sleaze engulfing Westminster.
Labour hailed a victory yesterday when the Prime Minister backed a ban on MPs taking parliamentary consultant jobs.
But now Mr Johnson wants to amend Labour’s plans for a ban ahead of a vote at 7pm tonight - amid claims he’s watering them down.
Labour’s “opposition day motion” would have “instructed” the Commons Standards Committee to draw up detailed plans by January 31.
It would have then “ordered” that MPs must be granted a debate on the details within 15 days of them being drawn up.
But Boris Johnson ’s amendment merely “supports” work to bring forward details by January 31. It does not guarantee MPs will be given a debate.
Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire said it was "typical Tory dirty tricks”.
She added: “Labour has put forward a binding motion to start to clean up our politics after the Tory sleaze scandal. The Conservatives are trying to water that down.
“Boris Johnson has been backed into a corner and one minute accepts our motion in a letter to the Speaker.
“But then comes forward with an amendment that will remove the central part that guarantees that action will be taken.”
MPs could vote on the rival proposals tonight, as each side claimed they were going further against sleaze than the other.
No10 sources insist their plan is tougher because it includes two recommendations of a 2018 Committee on Standards in Public Life report, not one.
Recommendation 10 - backed by both Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer - would amend the MPs’ Code of Conduct to say: “MPs should not accept any paid work to provide services as a Parliamentary strategist, adviser or consultant, for example, advising on Parliamentary affairs or on how to influence Parliament and its members.
But Boris Johnson has also backed Recommendation 1, which says: “Any outside activity undertaken by a MP, whether remunerated or unremunerated, should be within reasonable limits and should not prevent them from fully carrying out their range of duties.”
On the other hand, Boris Johnson is stopping short of Keir Starmer’s demand to “ban all second jobs for MPs with very limited exemptions” - including the legal work he considered taking when on the shadow frontbench.
Meanwhile Boris Johnson will face a showdown with his own backbenchers over plans to ban MPs from paid political consultancy work.
Mr Johnson will face the backbench 1922 Committee later on Wednesday as some Tories voice fury at the new plans.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 Committee, said there was "dissatisfaction" with the Prime Minister in the Tory ranks.
He told BBC's Today programme that he had "no problem" with a ban on paid consultancy work but going further could "deter a whole class of people" from entering politics.
"I think we all need to take a long, deep breath on this and get it right," he said.
"There are two real aspects to it. One is how we represent our constituents. And the second is what sort of type of people we want in Parliament.
"Because if we ban all second jobs, I think you are going to deter a whole class of people who represent the business opportunities in this country."
Relations between Mr Johnson and his MPs have been strained by the Owen Paterson furore, when Tories were ordered to support a move to block the former minister's immediate suspension for breaking lobbying rules only for the Government to U-turn in the face of a furious backlash.
Sir Geoffrey said: "There is dissatisfaction on the back benches and that is why the Prime Minister needs to make it very clear to members of Parliament what he expects from us."
Cabinet minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan suggested that MPs could reasonably work up to 20 hours a week on a second job.
Sir Geoffrey Cox worked 22 hours a week on his in the last year.
The International Trade Secretary told the BBC : "I think there is a common-sense test which is if you probably do 40-50 hours a week doing your main job, doing 10 or 15 hours a week doing something else, whatever you choose to do in your spare time, whether that's paid or not paid, is something that is part of the richness of what you bring as an individual to your role as an MP."
She later revised that figure up, telling Today: "Let's say two shifts, that would be 16 hours a week. Are we saying 10 to 20 hours a week outside your work as an MP and a parliamentarian? If that's what you chose to do as your choice, that's fine."
Ahead of his potentially awkward meeting with the 1922 Committee, Mr Johnson will face his usual session of Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons before being grilled by senior MPs on the Liaison Committee.
In a further sign of concern at standards in politics, a second Labour motion will attempt to force the Government to release minutes of meetings between ministers, officials and Randox.
Randox is the diagnostics company which employed Mr Paterson, the former cabinet minister who triggered the storm, as a consultant.
And there is fresh scrutiny of the role of all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) and the firms which provide support for them.
The Commons Committee on Standards launched an investigation into the groups in late 2020 and the BBC reported that an estimated £30 million has been poured into APPGs over the past five years.
The BBC investigation found that of that total, an estimated £6.4 million was donated by companies registered as lobbyists.
Tory MP Michael Fabricant said he welcomed the inquiry into the groups as "some are thought to receive large sums of money from foreign governments and companies".
