Former prime minister John Major is set to defy calls from the parliamentary commissioner for standards who has said he must declare his earnings from overseas speaking tours.

His stance is calling into question the future of Elizabeth Filkin, who has had cause to rebuke MPs from all sides of the House.

Major says the cash he receives has nothing to do with his status as an MP, as, he claims, he would still be able to take part in the lecture circuit if he had stood down from the Commons after his 1997 election defeat.