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Politicians clash over second jobs row

Ed Miliband has called on David Cameron to ban MPs from having second jobs "to restore the reputation of this house" following recent allegations against two former foreign secretaries.

Tory MP Sir Malcolm Rifkind is to step down as an MP at the General Election and has also resigned as chairman of the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, he said.

Sir Rifkind and Jack Straw were both suspended from their parties after they were secretly filmed allegedly offering to use their positions and contacts to benefit a private company in return for cash. Both men deny any wrong-doing.

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Rifkind anger at 'insulting' cash-for-access allegations

Sir Malcolm Rifkind has said any allegations of wrongdoing against him are "insulting", after he was filmed discussing a potential advisory role with undercover reporters posing as representatives of a fictitious company.

He said he would feel "angry" when watching the Channel 4 Dispatches programme tonight, particularly at the "suggestion that there is something improper" about considering such a position with a "company that says it is proposing major investment in the United Kingdom".

"Many, many people have served on such advisory boards from all walks of life - including parliament - for many, many years," the former foreign secretary said.

The chair of the Security and Intelligence Committee added that he had never offered access to any privileged information, stating that Channel 4 had already accepted this.

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Politicians clash over second jobs row

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