Second jobs: Voters decide if MP has right priorities, says Dominic Raab

It is up to voters to decide whether MPs with second jobs have "the right priorities", Dominic Raab has said.

The debate has been reignited after ex-Tory MP Owen Paterson broke lobbying rules when working as a consultant.

Boris Johnson has faced criticism from all sides for failing to apologise over the scandal, which saw No 10 try to overhaul standards rules and block Mr Paterson's suspension, before a U-turn.

Now, all the extra work MPs do outside Westminster is under the spotlight.

One member facing questions is the former Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who has earned hundreds of thousands of pounds from a second job with an international law firm.

The Daily Mail revealed the role saw the Conservative MP travel to the British Virgin Islands in April, meaning he was working and voting remotely.

Mr Cox has declared the number of hours and the amount he has been paid to Parliament, meaning he did not break any rules.

Asked about Mr Cox's jobs, Mr Raab - who is both deputy prime minister and justice secretary - said it was "perfectly reasonable" to ask questions about whether that amount of work is acceptable on top of being an MP.

But added: "Ultimately, it is for voters of any MP, myself included, to decide whether the people representing them have got the right priorities.

"I don't think it's for me to start making or prejudicing or second guessing the judgements that they make."