Carmarthenshire MP Jonathan Edwards used a House of Commons debate into political corruption to call for greater transparency into the links between big money and politics.

Mr Edwards said that the relationship between politics and big money in Westminster was incestuous and damaging to democracy.

He called for a cap on party spending in elections to end the what he termed an arms race on expenditure, and for MPs' private benefactors to be highlighted on parliamentary TV and on advertisements on MPs clothes, like snooker players, in order to ensure voters were aware who were 'bought politicians'.

"Mr Edwards said: “Over recent decades there have been a series of political scandals from cash for dinners, to cash for questions and cash for honours, and the 'ministerial cab for hire'.

"We now have the Greensill scandal. None of the lobbying legislation implemented in my time in Westminster makes any of the above actions illegal.

"One of the main drivers of political corruption is the 'expenditure arms race' as British politics is Americanised. Capping election expenditure would be an easy way to reduce the need for politicians to access private donations. As I said in the debate when large second jobs, financial gifts and hospitality are offered to some politicians these donations should be published on BBC Parliament and Parliament TV whenever members of the Commons speak in debates.

"In the debate I argued politicians should have to emblazon the names of their respective benefactors on their clothes in the same manner that snooker players and other sportspeople promote their sponsors. I suspect such publicity may temper the tendency of far too many MPs to use their roles to harvest the coin.

"At the end of the day Westminster in my view is rotten and can’t be reformed. It’s time for Wales to forge a new path based on a political discourse centred on public service.”