I was surprised to read that the government has concluded that limits on MPs’ hours or earnings from second jobs are “impractical” (Report, 17 March). I’ve been on employment and support allowance (ESA) since I had to stop full-time work due to incurable cancer. Work is permitted while claiming ESA subject to limits on both hours and earnings.
I currently work 11 hours a week for a local charity. In February, the Department for Work and Pensions terminated my benefit, without notifying me, because someone incorrectly calculated that I had earned 1p more than the permitted amount. I’m accused of earning £143 in a week. The limit is £142.99. I actually earn £142.61. I’m appealing to reverse the decision. In the meantime, the DWP has entirely stopped my benefits.
We could argue about the rights and wrongs of MPs’ second jobs. We could also argue about the rights and wrongs of abrupt earnings caps for those on benefits. What the government can’t honestly do is put an entire bureaucracy in place to police the benefits system while arguing that to apply similar rules to a few hundred of its own MPs is “impractical”. You couldn’t get a clearer demonstration of how those in positions of power are not held to the same scrutiny as the rest of us.
Alex Bicknell
London
• Bill Wiggin seems very concerned that rules on second incomes for MPs may be so complex that they may inadvertently break them, and therefore it’s best not to have any regulation (Report, 17 March). What nonsense! But hey, it may be that Sir Bill is incapable of understanding tricky regulations. In which case we may ask – does he have the intellectual capacity to continue as an MP? What an incredibly low bar the Conservatives must have for selecting election candidates.
In this parliamentary session, Wiggin has earned more than £75,000 in outside work plus ad hoc rental income of £10,000 for his London home. No wonder he’s so concerned.
Gaynor Bentley
Ledbury, Herefordshire
• Tory MPs lobbying to keep second jobs is understandable. After all, for a lot of them being an MP is their second job.
Pete Bibby
Sheffield
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