Peers have lighter requirements to declare earnings than MPs and are largely trusted to police their own conduct

• Exposed: Labour peer’s involvement in what appears to be a cash-for-access venture

Being a member of the House of Lords is not regarded as a job. While MPs draw a salary, peers do not. They are paid a generous attendance allowance – £361 a day – and expenses such as travel are reimbursed. But the system is designed to enable them to continue their day jobs. The code of conduct for peers notes that members of the upper house “draw substantially on experience and expertise gained outside parliament”.

The standards regime for members of the Lords also differs from that of the Commons, with lighter requirements to declare outside earnings.