Thread by @SkyNews

💰 Ever wondered how much money MPs make outside their parliamentary salary❓

A joint investigation by Sky News and Tortoise Media found that the top 20 MP earners made close to two thirds of all of the outside earnings since December 2019

#westminsteraccounts

The #westminsteraccounts show that the majority of the money went to Tory politicians - a total of £15.2m - while Labour MPs earned an additional £1.2m above the £84,144 salary for the day job.

🧵 Here we reveal the top earners in Westminster 👇

🔵The top earner is Theresa May who received the most money, earning £2,550,876 since December 2019.

Her biggest pay cheque came from Cambridge Speaker Series, who gave her £408,200 for six talks in California, as well as flights and accommodation

#westminsteraccounts

🔴Labour's shadow foreign secretary David Lammy topped his party's list with earnings of £202,599 - he appears 12th on the list of top earners.

He has declared income from 40 different sources - the most of any MP on our list

#westminsteraccounts

🔵The second highest paid MP for work outside of Parliament was Sir Geoffrey Cox, who totted up £2,191,387 from nine different law firms and a local Conservative association

#westminsteraccounts

⚖️There was a controversy last year when Sir Geoffrey was found to have earned over £800,000 from one company, Withers, for his work on an inquiry into corruption in the British Virgin Islands.

📈 That figure has risen to over £1.8m in the past three years

#westminsteraccounts

🔵Third spot in the list of parliament's biggest earners is taken by Boris Johnson.

The former prime minister has rocketed up the earnings rankings, declaring more than a million pounds in earnings since he stepped down from office last September

#westminsteraccounts

🗣️ Almost all of Boris Johnson’s declared earnings since the last election came from just four speeches in October and November 2022, one of which in New York was paid at a rate of around £32,500 per hour

#westminsteraccounts

🔵Other notable names in the list include former chancellor Sajid Javid, who has earned £361,566 from advising banks on the global economy and giving speeches

#westminsteraccounts

🔴Labour’s Jess Phillips is the second - and final - MP from her party in the top 20, coming in at number 19 with £162,838 of external earnings

#westminsteraccounts

✍️ Jess Phillips’ money comes from a range of places - including almost £65,000 for an advance on a book, £25,000 for appearing on Have I Got News For You, and just shy of £30,000 for columns in the Independent

#westminsteraccounts

🟡Outside earnings for the Lib Dems totalled £171,000 - but £159,758 of that has been earned by Sir Ed Davey who is the 21st highest earning MP.

He earns £5,000 a month as a political consultant and £37,984 as an asset manager for solar projects

#westminsteraccounts

💼The debate over second jobs dominated 2021 after former Tory MP Owen Paterson became embroiled in a lobbying scandal that led to his resignation.

Other high profile cases of MPs staying within the rules but earning thousands for outside work emerged…

#westminsteraccounts

…and demands for reform began to ring from all corners of the Commons.

🚫Some changes are due to come into effect later this year, with MPs to be banned from taking on work as political or parliamentary consultants from March

#westminsteraccounts

One source involved in drafting the new rules suggested this could impact the second jobs of around 30 MPs.

📺But they will not prevent others from earning significant amounts for speeches, TV appearances and legal work

#westminsteraccounts

Find out how much outside earnings your local MP makes by using the #westminsteraccounts tool🔻

news.sky.com/westminsteracc…