Reform UK MPs have taken part in just a quarter of votes since they got into Parliament, while earning over £166,000 from second jobs.
Analysis reveals that Nigel Farage has voted just three times since the General Election – two of which were on the King’s Speech – while one of their MPs, James McMurdock, has spoken in just one debate. Meanwhile the party leader has declared £138,189.88 in outside earnings on top of his work representing the people of Clacton.
Mr Farage is accused of treating being an MP like “a taxpayer-funded side hustle”. He and fellow Reform MPs Richard Tice and Lee Anderson have done a total of 357 hours of outside work, according to the latest register of interests. Mr Farage raked in a massive £138,189.88 from doing 224 extra hours, while Mr Tice has earned a more meagre £10,500 outside Parliament.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson, who defected to Reform earlier this year, earned an extra £17,666.67 and did 83 additional hours. The party’s two other MPs, James McMurdock and Rupert Lowe, have not declared any outside earnings, although Mr Lowe has declared four directorships.
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Philip Sharkey/TGS Photo/REX/Shutterstock)
None of the five MPs voted on legislation to privatise Britain’s railways or to bring in new safeguards to prevent another Liz Truss-style disaster Budget. However they did all vote against cutting Winter Fuel Payments for 10million pensioners.
Here’s a breakdown of their activities since becoming MPs:
- Nigel Farage – three votes, spoken in five debates, two refences to his constituency in the Commons, £138,189.88 outside earnings, 224 extra hours
- Richard Tice – five votes, spoken in 15 debates, four references to his constituency, £10,500 outside earnings, 50 extra hours
- Lee Anderson – five votes, spoken in 14 debates, four references to his constituency, £17,666.67 outside earnings, 83 extra hours
- James McMurdock – four votes, spoken in one debate, one reference to his constituency, no outside earnings or extra hours
- Rupert Lowe – four votes, spoken in 15 debates, four references to his constituency, no outside earnings but has declared four directorships, no extra hours
Between them Reform’s MPs have voted 21 times, which includes each of them voting on two amendments in the King’s Speech. A total of 15 votes have happened in Parliament since Labour came to power. If each of them voted in every one, the total between them all would be 75.
Keir Starmer’s Government has pledged a clampdown on MPs having second jobs. A Labour source told The Mirror: “Serving as an MP should be a privilege but for Nigel Farage, it’s clearly a taxpayer-funded side hustle. He should spend more time representing his Clacton constituents as he does giving airtime to Putin apologists.
“Or better yet, as so-called ‘leader’ of his party, perhaps he could find out where the rest of his MPs are – because it isn’t in Parliament doing their actual jobs.”