Boris Johnson becomes highest paid MP as he cashes in on his calamitous time as PM

Boris Johnson has become the highest-paid MP as he cashes in on his calamitous time as PM.

MPs have declared £8.07million in outside earnings in the past year, including payments for second jobs, speeches, TV appearances and books.

Mr Johnson accounted for more than a quarter of the total as he raked in £2.3million – on top of the £84,000 salary he receives as an MP.

Almost all of that money has come in since Mr Johnson left Downing Street in September.

It includes £1.8million in speaking fees and a £510,000 advance for his upcoming memoirs.

News of Mr Johnson’s vast earnings comes days after it emerged that the taxpayer could end up spending more than £222,000 on legal fees defending the former prime minister from a Commons inquiry into whether he misled Parliament over partygate.

Mr Johnson’s income far outstripped his predecessor Theresa May, who declared £965,000 in speaking fees.

Most of Mrs May’s earnings are used to fund her private office and charitable work.

Just three MPs – Mr Johnson, Mrs May and Sir Geoffrey Cox – accounted for half of declared outside earnings. The former attorney general earned £880,290 from his legal work.

Sir Geoffrey was criticised in 2021 after it emerged he had used a proxy to vote in Parliament while working on a corruption inquiry in the British Virgin Islands.

Other high earners include Matt Hancock, who has declared £442,697 over the past year, including £320,000 from appearing on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!

Nine of the top 10 earners were Conservative MPs, with David Lammy the only Labour MP in the top 10, declaring £108,259. This included £48,908 in speaking fees and £53,500 for presenting shows on LBC.

Some 39 MPs were paid more than the median UK salary of £31,000 in outside earnings alone, although 409 declared no outside earnings at all.

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