MPs have been paid £10m from second jobs and freelance work over the past year, according to a Guardian analysis. Boris Johnson's earnings of £4.8m account for almost half of the total, with the vast majority of the remaining income earned by Conservative MPs.
Around 90 Tory MPs brought in approximately £4.75m, an increase from about £4m in 2021, while a much smaller number of Labour, SNP and Liberal Democrat MPs earned just over £400,000. The government abandoned plans to cap MPs' outside income last year, following a sleaze scandal triggered by the Owen Paterson lobbying affair.
Some of the highest earners include Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is paid about £29,000 a month to host a programme on GB News, and Sajid Javid, who receives £25,000 a month as an adviser to a Jersey-based investment firm. At least 18 MPs earned more from outside work than their £86,000 parliamentary salary, compared with 11 in autumn 2021.
The analysis also highlights the revolving door of ministers leaving office and taking on second jobs before returning to government. Oliver Dowden was paid £8,000 to advise a hedge fund during his brief period out of office, while Gavin Williamson resigned a £60,000-a-year second job when he rejoined the government.
David Lammy was the highest-earning Labour MP, making more than £90,000 from presenting on LBC and giving speeches. Labour has indicated it would ban paid directorships and consultancies for MPs if it wins power.
