Former MPs struggle to get jobs, should we care?

“A General Election almost always means some MPs fail to be re-elected. In 2024 that number was 218. With some bright esceptions, many of them struggle to find jobs after their life in Parliament. Rajiv Prabhakar argues that this isn’t good for democracy, and offers suggestions for how departing MPs can be helped re-enter the job market. Enjoying this post? Then sign up to our newsletter and receive a weekly roundup of all our articles. Imagine being sacked in the early morning by thousands of people. And those people have just given your job to your rival. On top of that, you struggle to find a new job. This is exactly the situation that was faced by former MPs after the UK General Election in July 2024. I’ve been interviewing ex MPs who lost seats seeing how they have coped. And the message is clear – it is brutal. You might think, too bad – MPs lose their seats for a reason, and there are lots of much more vulnerable people that struggle to find jobs that deserve our sympathy and attention far more. MPs are usually middle class with extensive networks, they’ll be alright. But this is an issue that should concern us because it affects the quality of our politics. A healthy democracy needs a variety and diversity of people from different socio-economic backgrounds wanting to be politicians. Employment struggles faced by former MPs can deter others from wanting to stand. The UK Parliament’s Career Transition Scheme for departing MPs Over 218 MPs stood for re-election but lost in the 2024 General Election . That’s about a third of all MPs. And this does not take account of the 132 MPs who chose to stand down. Over half of those elected in 2024 are new to Parliament, the highest number since 1945. The UK Parliament implemented a Career Transition Scheme for the first time in July 2024 for those ex MPs who stood for election but lost their seat. This scheme is aimed at helping those former MPs adapt to new careers after Parliament. The idea that being an MP is a path to lucrative jobs is a myth. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, former Liberal Democrat MP Nick Clegg gained a senior post at Facebook after he left Parliament in 2017. But it is nevertheless the case that former MPs find it tricky to find work. Nearly all of my interviewees have encountered struggles in trying to find a new career. One former MP made over 224 applications after leaving Parliament and got three interviews. A healthy democracy needs a variety and diversity of people from different socio-economic backgrounds wanting to be politicians. Employment struggles faced by former MPs can deter others from wanting to stand. One study of MPs who left Westminster in 2010 found that 42 per cent of respondents were still out of work three months after leaving Parliament and 11 per cent were out of work a year after leaving Parliament. A survey of former Members of the Parliament in Victoria in Australia that 40 per cent of respondents said it took them between six and 18 months to find paid work. Career paths of former MPs Research is scarce on what happens to MPs when they leave office. But there is a literature on the careers of former political leaders. Jean Blondel pioneered much of this with his typology of the careers of world leaders . Blondel distinguishes between three types of career of world leaders. First, a linear career occurs when a leader climbs to the political top and remains there until they leave politics. Examples of those on this path include former Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee and former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major. Second, those with bell-shaped careers who have different non-political careers before and after political office. The broadcaster Gyles Brandreth is a former MP who moved into a different career after Parliament. Third, rotating careers involve the leader moving in and out of political office. For example, ex Conservative Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home served as Foreign Secretary under Prime Minister Edward Heath between 1970-74. More recently, former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron served as Foreign Secretary under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak between 2023-2024. One study on the intake in the 2015 UK Parliament shows that most MPs came from middle class professional occupations such as education, law or medicine. Not all ex-MPs will have occupied leadership positions in Parliament. But Blondel’s typology of the career paths of ex-leaders can be used to understand the possible career paths for politicians more generally. Most ex-MPs are likely to have a bell-shaped career. Between 1979 and 2019, the average age of MPs at election was roughly 50 years . In 2024 it was estimated to be 48 years. What this means is that ex-MPs have usually spent a significant period of time in another career before Parliament. A study on the intake in the 2015 UK Parliament shows that most MPs came from middle class professional occupations such as education, law or medicine. Although bell-shaped careers are likely to be most common for most politicians, there are also likely to be examples of those with other careers. For example, fifteen MPs who were elected as part of the new intake in 2024 had been an MP previously such as the Labour MP Douglas Alexander. How to best support departing MPs There are very few professions that are truly like being an MP. Research suggests that MPs are most like being professional athletes or being in the military as all work under high pressure, face intense scrutiny and leaving the professions can feel abrupt. But, unlike other professions ex-MPs face suspicions that they are interested in charting a route back to Parliament – that is are interested in a rotating career – and this can be a barrier to them starting a new career. The result is that former MPs are in a unique position and so the general redundancy advice that may be relevant elsewhere is not enough for politicians. For example, many of my interviewees had applied for Non-Executive Directorships (NEDs) on companies. Many ex-MPs have the skills to pursue such a role, for example if they had developed a policy specialism on a select committee. But, my interviewees reported that such opportunities were limited as organisations were often reluctant to hire those with a political background or if they did not have good links with the party in power. Advice has to be tailored to the unique background of MPs and the unique challenges they face. More tailored support might recognise that being an MP is usually a short career. Research suggests that for places like the UK Parliament or the Australian House of Representatives the average tenure is about eight years or two terms. Those with bell-shaped careers can be expected to spend some time in the post-political tail. One report notes that the average age of those who chose to step down from being an MP in July 2024 rather than stand for re-election was 59 years, and so some time before state pension age. Support for MPs might include opportunities to update existing professional skills gained in pre-political careers such as being a lawyer, teacher or nurse. Professional associations might also support the re-entry of politicians into former professions by offering accelerated refresher courses or waiving accreditation requirements. One finding from my interviews was the Career Transition Scheme was a source of emotional support alongside careers advice. Interviewees noted that regular meetings with an adviser gave them a structure that helped them cope with the loss of their seat, acting in a therapeutic kind of way. Interviewees also added that advisers were also often a source of reassurance. This emotional support existed alongside the informal support that interviewees also provided to each other. The value of this communal support can be tied to a wider point about the delivery of the scheme. Although interviewees welcomed the emotional support provided by the one-to-one consultants, they also stated that credible insights into the challenges faced by ex-MPs might only come from those who had been through this experience before. In the future ex-MPs who took part in the Career Transition Scheme can play an important role in a similar scheme in the future. Attention often focuses on introducing new MPs to Parliament in their new role. This is natural and important. But political exits are also important – that is how politicians leave Parliament. The challenges faced by those leaving Parliament can discourage others from wanting to stand. Addressing the challenges faced by outgoing MPs can help ensure the intake of new MPs come from the widest possible backgrounds. Enjoyed this post? Sign up to our newsletter and receive a weekly roundup of all our articles. All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of LSE British Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Image credit: UK Parliament on Flickr The post Former MPs struggle to get jobs, should we care? first appeared on LSE British Politics .

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