Theresa May and Boris Johnson have made the most of post number-10 life. Image: Parliament.tv
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Finding out how much your MP earns from a second job has always been a difficult task, best left to time-rich nerds – until now.
In the wake of the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal, a team of journalists at Sky and Tortoise have created a searchable database allowing people to see exactly how much their MP earns.
The figures cover the current parliament, which formed after the 2019 election, and include money earned from second jobs, as well as the value of gifts and donations.
The top 10 is unsurprisingly made up of prime ministers, party leaders, and serial moonlighters – with some deep cuts among the famous faces.
Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government, told Sky News MPs should be prepared to answer questions about where their donations come from.
She said: “If an MP is asked for more information, should they feel that actually that is something that they’re willing and able to give? Do they actually know the answer to some of these questions if they’ve taken money from a company that they don’t necessarily know how that is funded? I think that’s actually quite important.”
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So, here are the top 10 MPs earning the most from second jobs.
Theresa May: £2.8million
The former prime minister has declared 78 donations, gifts, payments and other benefits from 38 different sources. The largest is £408,200 from Cambridge Speaker Series. May also received gifts totalling £159,600 from Heathrow Airport. Nice work if you can get it.
Sir Geoffrey Cox: £2.1million
Cox had his own scandal in 2021 when he lobbied against tougher financial regulations on the Cayman Islands months after being paid north of £40,000 from legal firms based in the tax haven.
He has declared 50 donations, gifts, payments and other benefits from 10 different sources. The largest declaration was £156,900 from Withers LLP.
Boris Johnson: £1.2million
No surprises here. The heftiest of the former PM’s 56 declarations is £277,700 from investment bankers Centerview Partners LLP. Johnson received £261,600 from The Hindustan Times having delivered a keynote speech at its Leadership Summit last year.
Mr Popular over here has declared 104 donations, gifts, payments and other donations from 69 sources. The biggest was a £100,000 donation from Lord Waheed Ali – the media mogul behind TV series Survivor.
The top five sources were Robert Latham, Lord Waheed Alli, Martin Taylor, Clive Hollick and Trevor Chinn.
Andrew Mitchell: £769,300
The international development secretary has made 66 declarations from 30 different sources, including £130,000 from private equity firm Kingsley Capital Partners.
He also received a gift worth £100 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Rwanda.
Question time: Who is the prime minister’s special envoy for freedom of religion or belief?
Correct, it’s Fiona Bruce. The Congleton MP, having won “Small Businesswoman of the Year” in 2003, is good at making money. Nearly all of her earnings come from her law firm, Fiona Bruce and Co LLP.
John Redwood: £692,400
Long-time Eurosceptic John Redwood tops up his salary by working as global strategist for investment management firm Charles Stanley. His 50 hours a month net him £48,222 a quarter. It adds up. In total, that’s bagged him £674,800 since 2019.
Rishi Sunak: £546,000
Rishi Sunak’s biggest donor might sound familiar: he accepted £100,000 from Chris Rea.
But before we get into another Kate Bush-esque saga, it should be pointed out that it is in fact not thatChris Rea. Sunak’s donor is a Northern Irish manufacturing magnate, and not the Driving Home For Christmas songsmith.
Liz Truss: £538,600
Campaigning to become prime minister doesn’t come cheap. Liz Truss accepted six-figure donations, including £100,00 from Fitriana Hay, the wife of a former BP executive.
Money well spent.
Ed Davey: £441,600
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey rounds out the top 10. His earnings are made up in large part from £121,700 from law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, where he held a consultancy role until stepping down in November 2021. Davey also earned £57,980 from an advisory role for NetEnergy Capital, which he has since resigned
Is your MP on this list? What do you think about their outside work? Give us your views by emailing letters@bigissue.com
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