Sources:
Parliament LTD - https://amzn.to/2GaaCFD
http://www.historyofparliamentonline....
http://www.parliament.uk/about/living...
http://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/h...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/poli...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/poli...
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate...
In the UK corruption is rarely a topic talked about, especially where Parliament is concerned. We often get the odd scandal such as Russian donations to the conservative party, cash for questions, the expenses scandal, and lobbying scandals but no effective reforms have taken place after the news cycle has moved onto something else.
But corruption continues to be a major issue affecting UK politics from undeclared financial interests to kickbacks to MPs from lobbying.
To see how corruption in effects the highest levels of government we will look back to nineteen eleven before this point MP's were not paid which left the institution in the hands of the wealthy. For example, the famous Clive of India, after having made his wealth plundering the nation he was named for, he returned home to dominate local politics, by buying land and being awarded titles for his plundering of India Clive got himself, his cousin his father and his attorney seats in Parliament, allowing him to form his own political bloc in parliament.
This state of affairs lead to demands that average people should be able to get into parliament as their interests were not being reprinted by the rich. The Chartists movement which could trace its origins back to 1838 demanded, among other things, a vote for every man and for MP's to be paid so allowing the working class to send representatives to Parliament. After 72 years of petitions with millions of signatures and violent repression by the state, MP's voted to take a payment.
MP's who argued against being paid said, the working class and poor would overrun Parliament, were not desirable and besides, they said the amount of money you have shows you possess a good intellect and should be the bar to entry.
