Nigel Farage was accused of grifting after it emerged he had earned £270,000 for 12 hours’ work flogging gold bullion, with MPs told he has declared 16 sources of outside income since becoming an MP
Nigel Farage was accused of grifting after more details about his earnings came to light(Image: AP)
Nigel Farage has been savaged over his “obscene” outside earnings and accused of grifting as MPs heard second jobs should be banned.
The Reform UK leader trousered £270,000 for just 12 hours’ work flogging gold bullion, and has declared more than £2million in earnings and gifts since becoming an MP. This is on top of his £98,599 salary as MP for Clacton.
Cross-party MPs have voiced their disbelief that this is allowed and called on the government to outlaw second jobs, except in exceptional circumstances. A debate in Parliament heard Mr Farage – who did not show up despite multiple members informing him they intended to mention him – has declared 16 outside sources of income since he was elected in July 2024, totalling 140 days’ of paid work.
Labour’s Richard Burgon, who has put forward legislation demanding a ban, told Westminster Hall: “Being an MP is a privilege, a well-paid privilege. The nearly £100,000-a-year salary places us in the highest 5% of earners in the country. So being an MP should be a full time job.
“The public elected us to represent them, to fight their corner and to devote our time to their concerns. They don’t elect MPs to spend their time lining their pockets. And when MPs do that, they shortchange the public who pay them and they undermine our democracy.”
On Tuesday it emerged the The Reform UK leader raked in £270,000 for just 12 hours’ work as a brand ambassador for Direct Bullion. This works out at £22,500 an hour, more than 1,700 times the national living wage of £12.71.
Last year, Mr Burgon pointed out, Mr Farage suggested the minimum wage for young people of £10.85 per hour could be too much. He said: “Some man of the people, it’s all very Donald Trump. We hear a lot about why second jobs are acceptable, but the public know that when an MP can earn more for a couple of hours’ so-called work than a nurse earns in a year, there’s something deeply broken in our politics, and change is needed.”
According to Mr Farage’s latest entry on the register of members’ interests, he also earned £18,402 for an estimated six hours of presenting on GB News. Lib Dem Lisa Smart told MPs: “The people who voted us here don’t do so just so that we can use it as a launching pad into a media career, or a consultancy, or corporate boardrooms. Voters sent us here to work for them.
“Yet in this Parliament, we’ve seen some members treat their responsibilities to their constituents as at best a part-time concern.
“Other members have given the detail of some of the work undertaken by the honourable member for Clacton (Mr Farage), and I have indeed let him know in advance that I plan to mention him and his grifting.”
Ms Smart said she had calculated that Mr Farage had declared 140 days’ worth of outside work since becoming an MP. Under current rules MPs are allowed to do as much outside work as they choose, but must declare their hours and earnings. The government is looking at tightening regulations around outside second jobs.
Green MP Dr Ellie Chowns said: “There should be no time available in an MP day for doing a second job. Still less 16 second jobs, because the needs that our constituents have for us to serve them to represent them absolutely can fill every moment available and more. And so it is utterly shocking to me that people like the member for Clacton has apparently raked in £2million over his past two years of service as a member of Parliament.
“Just yesterday we heard £270,000 for 12 hours of work. It is frankly obscene.” Dr Chowns added: “Let us call a spade a spade.
“If somebody is doing this sort of work – work in inverted commas – for these sorts of sums, there can be only one motivation – personal enrichment, personal greed. And that has no place in a public servant.”
The Reform chief’s financial interests are in sharp focus after it emerged he accepted £5million from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before entering Parliament – but did not declare it.
He is being probed by the Parliamentary standards commissioner to determine if he broke Parliamentary rules.
Labour chair Anna Turley said the government is looking at rules around outside earnings for MPs. She told MPs: “The fact that it remains open to MPs to treat their Parliamentary and constituency responsibilities as secondary to other work is outdated…
“In the view of this government, it has to change now. How can it be right that, for example, the honourable member for Clacton (Mr Farage), as we’ve heard, has 16 jobs and just yesterday revealed that he has paid £22,500 per hour?
“Let’s just think about that – £22,500 per hour as a brand ambassador for gold trade. It’s it just absolutely blows my mind.”
After outlining his work for GB News and earning cash from making clips for personalised video service Cameo, she said: “I’m not sure how anyone can see that as compatible with his obligations to the people of Clacton.”
The Commons Committee on Standards is currently investigating rules for MPs around outside earnings.
Reform UK has been contacted for comment.
