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Which MPs have second jobs and how much do they earn?

UK Parliament/Roger Harris Tory MPs in the CommonsUK Parliament/Roger Harris

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is proposing to ban MPs from acting as paid political consultants.

The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer has been calling for this to happen, saying the ban would help end "dodgy lobbying".

The planned shake up of the rules comes after Owen Paterson was found to have broken lobbying rules - which led to the issue of MPs' second jobs coming under scrutiny.

Questions have been raised about the Conservative MP and former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox who earned around £900,000 last year through his work as a lawyer.

Are MPs currently allowed second jobs?

Yes, as long as they are not a minister.

More than 200 MPs have received earnings in the last year on top of their £81,932 annual salary. The extra earnings range from £50 a year to almost £1m.

Boris Johnson on MPs' standards: "We take all this very seriously"

MPs must publicly declare any additional income, along with gifts, donations and shareholdings over 15%.

Those who leave government must consult the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any jobs they want to take up in the two years after leaving their post. They are banned from lobbying the government for two years.

All MPs are "strictly forbidden" from getting paid "in return for advocating a particular matter" in Parliament.

Having MPs with second professions has previously been seen as a good thing.

In 1995, the standards committee said that not having them would "not serve the best interests of democracy". It argued that Parliament needed "a wide range of current experience which can contribute to its expertise".

Getty Images Owen Paterson campaigningGetty Images
Former minister Owen Paterson resigned as an MP to escape "the cruel world of politics"

The current debate is mainly regarding MPs who earn money as consultants or advisers. Less controversial second jobs range from doctors and nurses, to referees and musicians.

Which MPs have worked as consultants in the last year?

The following MPs have registered income from consultancy work on the Register of Members' Financial Interests in the last year. There is no suggestion that any of the MPs listed below have broken any rules.

  • Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) holds six consultancy jobs, supporting investment banks and accountancy firms. He has registered more than £180,000 for 34.5 days' work
  • Julian Smith (Conservative) is earning £144,000 for 62-84 hours' work for three companies, including advising on energy and renewable fuels
  • Former transport and justice secretary Chris Grayling (Conservative) earns £100,000 to advise Hutchison Ports
  • Mark Garnier (Conservative) is paid to sit on the advisory boards of two companies in the space and satellite industry, committing 20 hours a month for an annual payment of £90,000
  • Sir Ed Davey (Lib Dem) works as a consultant for two firms alongside his job as leader of the Liberal Democrats. He says his extra £78,000 income goes towards supporting his disabled son
  • Alun Cairns (Conservative), who left his post as Welsh Secretary in 2019, earns £60,000 advising three companies
  • Ruth Edwards (Conservative), who has represented Rushcliffe since 2019, commits to 192 hours for £60,000 per year, advising a software company
  • Stephen Hammond (Conservative) advises an investment company on political issues for £60,000 a year
  • Since leaving his role as health minister in 2019, Steve Brine (Conservative) has joined three firms, including Sigma Pharmaceuticals. He earns almost £60,000 for 288 hours
  • David Davis (Conservative) earns just over £50,000 as an adviser to two German companies
  • John Hayes (Conservative) offers up to 90 hours of his time annually to international energy company BB Energy Trading, earning £50,000
  • Former party leader and cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative) advises two health companies for £45,000
  • Damian Green (Conservative) advises transport company Abellio on rail policy for 288 hours and £40,000 annually
  • Tim Loughton (Conservative) receives £37,000 for advising a children's services provider
  • Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative) provides "general advice" to an American mining firm, earning £36,000 a year
  • Andrew Percy (Conservative) receives £36,000 a year for advising a Canadian clean energy company for six hours a month
  • Khalid Mahmood (Labour) has committed up to 15 hours a month advising the Policy Exchange think tank on issues including extremism. He receives a salary of £25,000 a year
  • Laurence Robertson (Conservative) advises the Betting and Gaming Council for £24,000 a year. He is expected to commit 10 hours a month
  • Richard Fuller's (Conservative) outside earnings include £20,000 as an advisory director of an investment company
  • Chair of the House of Commons justice committee Sir Bob Neill (Conservative) has been receiving almost £20,000 for two consultancy roles, including a law firm. One of the roles ended earlier this year
  • Royston Smith (Conservative) has received £18,000 since May 2020 for 30 hours' work as a consultant for a property company
  • Until earlier this year, Mark Pritchard (Conservative) was earning £18,000 a year for advice by the Consumer Credit Association
  • Sir Greg Knight (Conservative) advises a bank for £16,000 a year on "general business and public relations"
  • Until earlier this year, Ben Everitt (Conservative) committed 60 to 80 hours a year to advising the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales for £15,000
  • Andrew Bridgen (Conservative) offers political advice for £12,000 a year, to a company which grows teak in Ghana
  • Philip Davies (Conservative) earns £12,000 annually as a parliamentary adviser to the National Pawnbroking Association
  • Sir Graham Brady (Conservative) earns £10,000 a year for 12 hours' work as a strategic adviser
  • Former universities minister Chris Skidmore (Conservative) provides advice on higher education for £10,000 a year
  • Paul Maynard (Conservative) earns £6,250 a year as a consultant to a banking services company. He says his earnings go straight to charity
  • John Redwood (Conservative) is an adviser for a private equity fund, for which he earns £5,000
  • Until earlier this year, Andrew Lewer (Conservative) provided public policy advice to a property firm for £4,800 per year
  • Dean Russell (Conservative) has received just over £2,000 in 2021 as a consultant for a business training company

What about other jobs?

Most of the MPs who have second jobs are not consultants.

Some of the highest earners in the House of Commons are lawyers.

JEFF OVERS The Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Cox, who earned hundreds of thousands of pounds as a lawyer last year.JEFF OVERS
The Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Cox earned hundreds of thousands of pounds as a lawyer last year.

Sir Geoffrey Cox, who was attorney general during the height of the Brexit negotiations, has registered almost £900,000 in the last year for around 1,000 hours of legal work.

This included travelling to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to advise on a corruption inquiry. He was there for a number of weeks, meaning he was carrying out his work as an MP - including voting - from the Caribbean.

Sir Geoffrey has been referred by Labour to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for apparently taking part in a virtual meeting for a client while in his Commons office.

The Conservative MP has denied breaching the rules.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who is also a barrister, has made more than £100,000 for legal work, writing and making speeches since becoming an MP in 2015. There is no suggestion he has done anything against the rules, and Sir Keir says all the work was carried out before he became leader last year.

A number of MPs are also employed as doctors and nurses. Some have continued to work on the NHS front line during the pandemic.