Matt Hancock is caught asking for an eye-watering £10,000-A-DAY fee trends now
Two ex-Cabinet Ministers agreed to work for £10,000 a day to promote the interests of a fake South Korean firm in a new row over MPs’ second jobs.
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock and ex-Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng were apparently duped into offering their services by campaign group Led by Donkeys.
When asked what his daily rate was, Mr Hancock reportedly replied ‘it’s 10,000 sterling’ while Mr Kwarteng agreed to the same rate, saying he did not require a ‘king’s ransom’.
According to the Observer, Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, said a daily rate of about £6,000 ‘feels about right’.
But Sir Graham made clear he could not advocate on behalf of the interest and said any payments would be on a public register.
Matt Hancock, the former Health Secretary, quoted his daily rate as £10,000 in the interview with a fake Korean consultancy firm
Former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said that he did not need to be paid a 'king's ransom' for his time - but was filmed agreeing to a sum of £10,000
A fourth MP who was approached for the work, ex-Minister Stephen Hammond, said this weekend that he considered he had been the victim of a ‘scam’.
But he said that ‘it turns out this company was fake, with a fake website’.
The Observer made clear last night that all the senior MPs had complied with all relevant rules and had referred to their obligation to their constituents during preliminary meetings.
The paper also made clear that none of the job arrangements were finalised.
But the revelations of their proposed daily rates for outside work is expected to spark a new row over MPs’ second jobs.
Labour has said it would ban most second jobs for MPs if Sir Keir Starmer’s party wins the next general election.
Led by Donkeys released a report on its investigation on Twitter yesterday, with recorded undercover footage.
The fake firm that approached the politicians had a rudimentary
