Rishi Sunak and Nigel Farage are Parliament's biggest outside job earners, a new website reveals, amid calls to ban side hustles for MPs.
Former PM Mr Sunak has earned £2.3million on top of his salary for sitting in the Commons since the general election, it says, while Mr Farage – who faces a standards probe over a £5million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne – has recorded £1.4million in money, gifts, hospitality or paid work. A petition calling for MPs' second jobs to be outlawed except in exceptional circumstances has been signed by over 55,000 people.
Sunak's declared earnings
The site, TheyWorkForWho.com – run by campaign group 38 Degrees – says Mr Sunak has declared more than £1million in earnings from finance firm Goldman Sachs since the general election. He also earns around £373,000 a year from US AI firm Anthropic Public Benefit Corporation, the register of members' interests shows.
He has also earned over £555,000 through the Washington Speakers Bureau, Parliamentary records reveal. And the former Tory leader has also been paid nearly £200,000 by the Hoover Institution, a think-tank at Stanford University in the US, where he is a distinguished visiting fellow.
Farage's income sources
Meanwhile Mr Farage famously has a number of outside income sources, including selling gold bullion, hosting a show on GB News and recording personalised Cameo videos. Payments include a combined £496,000 from Direct Bullion, £427,394 from GB News and over £40,000 for Cameo videos – which allow fans to request messages from celebrities.
There are growing calls for MPs to be barred from earning money on top of their £98,500 salary. Veronica Hawking, campaigns director at 38 Degrees, said: “Voters rightly believe that being elected as a Member of Parliament is a privilege, and representing the best interests of constituents should be a full time job.
“But the high profile cases we’ve seen of vested interests, side hustles and second jobs, with a number of MPs raking in hundreds of thousands of pounds on top of their parliamentary salary has fuelled cynicism and distrust amongst many voters.” And she called on the government to beef up the Representation of the People Bill – which is making its way through Parliament – to stop MPs taking second jobs.
Calls for a ban
Ms Hawking said: “Andy Burnham has signalled that he wants to clean up politics, if he’s serious about doing so he must strengthen the Representation of the People Bill to clamp down on second jobs and outside interests, so that voters can feel confident their MP is working for them, and them alone.”
In June it emerged Mr Farage had earned £270,000 for 12 hours' work flogging gold bullion. Cross-party MPs have voiced their disbelief that this is allowed. A Westminster Hall debate last month heard Mr Farage has declared 16 outside sources of income since he was elected in July 2024, totalling 140 days' of paid work.
Labour's Richard Burgon, who has put forward legislation demanding a ban, told Westminster Hall: "Being an MP is a privilege, a well-paid privilege. The nearly £100,000-a-year salary places us in the highest 5% of earners in the country. So being an MP should be a full time job.
"The public elected us to represent them, to fight their corner and to devote our time to their concerns. They don't elect MPs to spend their time lining their pockets. And when MPs do that, they shortchange the public who pay them and they undermine our democracy."
Under current rules MPs are allowed to do as much outside work as they choose, but must declare their hours and earnings. The government is looking at tightening regulations around outside second jobs. The Commons Committee on Standards is currently investigating rules for MPs around outside earnings. The Mirror has contacted Mr Sunak and Reform UK for comment.
During last month's debate, MPs suggested that only paid work required to maintain a professional accreditation – such as for a medical professional or as a lawyer – should be permitted. Other top earners, according to the site, include Tory Sir Geoffrey Cox with £1million, Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe with £688,000 and Labour's Angela Rayner with £410,000.
