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Dear John,
Nigel Farage once told a US podcast that “there’s no money in politics.” But since he was elected MP for Clacton, he’s shown us all just how wrong he was.
* Farage has made over £1.2 million from at least TWELVE other jobs since becoming the MP for Clacton in July 2024 🤯
* Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made ÂŁ587,000
* Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox has made ÂŁ559,000
* Former Conservative Science Minister George Freeman has made ÂŁ208,000
Since the Owen Paterson scandal in 2021 (an MP lobbying Government ministers for the very firms that lined his pockets), there’s been plenty of heated debate around second jobs. There’s a broad perception that its fuelling distrust towards public officials.
The polls do paint a stark picture:
* Over two-thirds of Brits think that politicians “are only out for themselves.”
* Most people are now more likely to link economic crime to politicians rather than any other profession – including business executives and even oligarchs.
* More than eight in ten people believe politicians grant policy favours in exchange for lucrative job offers.
In some ways, it’s another symptom of a recurring conundrum in UK politics. Systems that once relied on the noble behaviour of so-called “Good Chaps” can’t cope when the chaps no longer feel a prevailing sense of public duty.
Despite Keir Starmer’s previous support for significant action on second jobs, the eye-watering figures still being earned by some MPs show that the problem has not gone away. Starmer has tightened up the rules a bit – but the measures he once embraced, found in Gordon Brown’s A New Britain ([link removed]) review, were much stronger.
We want to know what you think. Should they be banned outright? Should we make exceptions for doctors or professionals that need to keep their skills registered? Should it be allowed with strict limits on earnings?
Share your views in this short survey:
SECOND JOBS: GIVE US YOUR VIEWS ([link removed])
Thank you for sharing your views!
All the best,
The Open Britain Team
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