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MPs who earn £10,000 plus from their second jobs
Snouts in the trough? Times list could rekindle public anger last seen over MPs expenses
DOZENS of MPs are earning more than £10,000 a year from their outside interests, in addition to their £65,738 salaries, according to an investigation by The Times. Eighteen made more than £100,000 in the past year.
The paper says there will be questions about their "ability to keep up with the demands" of Parliament as some are committing as many as 80 hours a month to outside work. One MP warned that, three years after the expenses scandal, large outside earnings could give the Commons a bad name.
Of 21 MPs the paper lists, 14 are Conservatives – but the two biggest earners are Labour. Here are seven of the highest-paid from all parties:
GORDON BROWN (Lab) – Tops the list with £900,286.65 earned in one year from public speaking, academic positions and writing. The BBC reported in January that of £1.4m Brown earned after leaving office "not a single penny" went into his pocket – it all went to charity.
DAVID MILIBAND (Lab) – Made £410,171.60 from consultancy work and public speaking, engagements he would presumably not have been able to take up if he had succeeded in his bid to become Labour leader.
GEOFFREY COX (Con) – The highest-paid Tory on the list, he earned £405,729.50 for between 12 and 20 hours a week as a barrister. He defended outside work to the paper, saying it "enriches Parliament" by encouraging "independence of mind" and teaching MPs about the world beyond Westminster.
JOHN REDWOOD (Con) – Made £138,523.99 as chairman and adviser to several engineering and investment firms, working an average of 18 hours per month. Contacted by The Times, he said: "I don't want to talk about it, thanks very much," and put the phone down.
JOHN HEMMING (Lib Dem) – The only Liberal Democrat on the Times list, the Birmingham MP owns a software house, music company and online banking and insurance service – all of which demands just four hours per month of his time and earned him £146,540.
PETER LILLEY (Con) – Earned £102,464 as the director of an IT firm and gas, oil and power generation companies, working 34 hours per month. He pointed out to the paper that cabinet ministers have a far higher workload to juggle with their constituency duties than most backbench MPs with outside interests.
ALISTAIR DARLING (Lab) – Like Brown, the former Labour chancellor is in demand because of his previous role in government. Made £172,345.10 with public speaking, a memoir and journalism. Excluding the book-writing, he put in just eight hours a month. ·
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I would imagine that whoever penned this ridiculous article would do exactly the same if he/she had the chance - get real - this is life - it does not mean that the named politicians (and, doubtless, many others) are any less effective in their posts.
How many times have we read/heard that today's politicians would be of more service if they had some experience of the world outside Westminster? Now that we learn that some of them (sensibly) have that experience, we are being encouraged to whip up another witch hunt.
To liken this to the expenses scandal is quite stupid