Local MPs’ Declared Outside Interests

Published on: 11 Nov, 2021
Updated on: 15 Nov, 2021

By Martin Giles

MPs’ interests are in the news. Questions are being raised as to whether MPs should be allowed to have other jobs while working to represent their constituents and where any non-parliamentary income comes from.

Parliament’s published “Register of Members’ Interests as at 1 November 2021” includes what has been registered by the four MPs whose constituencies overlap Guildford Borough.

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations an MP for Surrey Heath receives an MP’s salary of £80,000 and a ministerial salary of £67,000.

He has no other occupations but has declared donations of £176,500, £100,000 of which was from Guildford-based property developer Zachariasz “Zak” Gertler (see The Independent’s article, Michael Gove receives £100,000 in donations from one of London’s top property moguls). Among numerous other donors are: Lord Philip Harris of Peckham (£10,000), Alan Massie (£20,000), Peter Lumley (£5,000) and Information Edge (£500 each month for two years).

He also declared gifts and benefits of £11,500.

Asked by The Dragon what the donations would be used for and whether having been, a short time later, appointed as the Minister for Housing he had returned the donation from Mr Gertler, Mr Gove failed to respond.

(See Michael Gove’s full register entry below.)

From left to right: Sir Paul Beresford (Mole Valley), Michael Gove (Surrey Heath), Jonathan Lord (Woking) and Angela Richardson (Guildford).

Sir Paul Beresford, Mole Valley, continues his work as a dentist but only for 300 hours a year (25 hours a month), earning £500 a month. He also employs his wife as his part-time secretary paying her from parliamentary expenses.

Registered interests of Sir Paul Beresford

Jonathan Lord, Woking had nothing to declare.

Registered interests of Jonathan Lord

Angela Richardson, Guildford has only her property in her native New Zealand to declare.

Registered interests of Angela Richardson

Full Register entry for Michael Gove

Responses to Local MPs’ Declared Outside Interests

Anthony Mallard Reply

November 11, 2021 at 2:21 pm

There is a difficult balance to be achieved for all MPs and those wanting to be in Parliament. Does the public want an MP who has gone from secondary education to study Politics at university, then to a political research position or as a local politician, thus gaining no or limited experience in the real world of commerce and industry. Or, someone who has gathered post educational experience before entering politics.

Whilst there is probably no “correct” answer to this conundrum, I feel I would be better represented by the latter. I would expect that a candidate for election would fully subscribe to the Nolan Principles and be able and willing to give a significant proportion of their time to their constituents, whilst maintaining a meaningful contact, personally and through business interests, with the real world outside the Westminster bubble.