Former cabinet ministers who remain in parliament earn an average of £162,000 on top of their MP salary from the private sector in their first year after leaving government, Sky News research has found.
The figure, arrived at by analysing data from the register of members’ interests between 2015 and 2021, excludes earnings from media appearances or book royalties, as well as the earnings of former prime ministers.
The ex-cabinet ministers have earned additional income through consultancy jobs and speeches paid by private companies. Their additional earnings dwarf the £67,505 cabinet ministers receive each year in addition to their MPs’ salary of £81,932.
Ministers cannot earn outside income, but when they leave government for the backbenches they once again have the opportunity to supplement their salary. This is allowed under parliamentary rules and a committee approves former ministers’ jobs if taken up within two years of leaving office.
Yet the amount of time some MPs spend on second jobs and the transparency of their consultancy work have led to calls for reform.
Last week the House of Commons Committee on Standards released recommendations calling for MPs to be banned from giving paid parliamentary advice, consultancy or strategy services.
The committee chairman, Chris Bryant, said he was “genuinely surprised” at the average…
Source : skynews
