Small number of badly behaved MPs should not ‘tarnish’ Parliament, watchdog says

New parliamentary commissioner for standards says reputation of the House ‘possibly as low as it has ever been’

The behaviour of a small number of MPs should not be allowed to ‘tarnish’ the reputation of Parliament as a whole, the new Commons standards watchdog has warned (David Mirzoeff/PA) (PA Wire)

The behaviour of a small number of MPs should not be allowed to “tarnish” the reputation of Parliament as a whole, the new Commons standards watchdog has warned.

Daniel Greenberg, the new Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, said the reputation of the House was “possibly as low as it has ever been” due to the conduct of a minority of its members.

While he said that in the case of most MPs such opprobrium was undeserved, he suggested they needed to consider again the rules on outside earnings amid clear public concern.