In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK party, has repeatedly breached the MPs’ code of conduct by failing to declare his additional income on time. An investigation by The Update Desk has uncovered the staggering amounts of money Farage and other MPs have been earning from their “second jobs” on top of their parliamentary salaries.
Farage’s case is particularly egregious, with a total of £384,000 of his additional income found to have been declared after the 28-day deadline set by parliamentary standards. This is part of the £1.6 million fortune he has amassed from his 15 “second jobs” since being elected as an MP in July 2024, on top of his annual salary of £93,904.
The former UKIP leader’s biggest earner is his job presenting for GB News, from which he has received an estimated £664,000 since becoming an MP. He has also received £415,000 for being an ambassador to gold traders Direct Bullion and £180,000 from video messaging site Cameo.
But Farage is not the only MP cashing in on additional income. The latest Register of Members’ Financial Interests has also revealed details of one of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s side gigs. Sunak’s role as a senior advisor for AI firm Anthropic has earned a charity he founded, the Richmond Project, a staggering £373,000.
With Sunak estimated to have worked around 70 hours for Anthropic, it works out to an eye-watering hourly rate of approximately £5,300. This takes Sunak’s total earnings from second jobs since the general election to just over £1 million, making him the second-highest earning MP in Parliament.
These revelations raise serious questions about the extent to which MPs are prioritising their outside interests over their parliamentary duties. The public will undoubtedly be scrutinising the actions of their elected representatives more closely in the wake of this scandal.
