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Sennior Tory Michael Gove is earning up to £1,250 an hour for a newspaper column, the Tories disclosed today.
David Cameron published a list of his shadow Cabinet members' outside interests, including salary and hours, which they will declare from Wednesday.
The Tory leader said all shadow Cabinet ministers would ditch outside jobs by the end of the year.
The list today showed shadow schools secretary Mr Gove earned £5,000 a month for “one hour a week or so” for The Times. It also revealed shadow foreign secretary William Hague's £50,000 a year from JCB, £25,000 from AES Engineering and £15,000 for a “paid speech”. Tory policy supremo Oliver Letwin earned about £60,000 a year giving advice to investment bank NM Rothschild. Shadow business secretary Ken Clarke was paid £38,000 a year as a non-executive director of Independent News and Media.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley earned £25,000 a year as a non-executive director for marketing firm Profero. Francis Maude, shadow Cabinet Office minister, earned £36,700 a year from Barclays for six days' work. Shadow universities spokesman David Willetts was paid £60,000 a year as an adviser for Punter Southall. Jeremy Hunt, the shadow culture secretary, got £12,000 a year for advice to website firm Hotcourses.
Reader views (4)
There is a world of difference between abusing expense claims which are ultimately borne by the taxpayer, and being paid large sums of money by private companies. Abusing expenses is clearly wrong, but being paid a lot of money is not. If you don't think Gove's writing is any good, then don't buy The Times - that's your choice as a private person. It should not be the Government's job to say who should be paid what in the private sector.
The amount that Gove is paid by the Times is not the issue - if he can negotiate that amount, good luck to him! One real issue is whether he has unfairly gained that amount compared to competitors who could have done that column or others doing comparable jobs - there are already laws to protect against that. The other issue would be if that sum of money prompted Gove to act in Parliament for the benefit of his paymasters relative to his voters. There are also laws against that!
Snouts in the trough doesn't apply here.
- Bob, Warrington
Billy Walker - "Of course Tories have no understanding of right and wrong or fairness. It is just Tory snouts in the trough."
And no other politicians have had their snouts in the trough, just Tories? Where have you been for the last 3 months? Too much BBC propaganda input methinks.
- Stephen, Hampton, England
Who cares?
Only jealous people who can't do the same I suspect..
- Madasafish, Stoke on trent, UK
The money paid to Michael Gove for writing newspaper columns is obscene. Cameron asks his MP's to judge whether their expenses claims can be justified but seems to be unaware of the insult to working people of this type of payment. It seems that others can work sixty hours a week for the good of the community for a fraction of what these people earn on top of their 'full-time' salaries for 'serving the community'. If Cameron were a real leader he would ask Gove to donate ninety percent to charity. Of course Tories have no understanding of right and wrong or fairness. It is just Tory snouts in the trough.
- Billy Walker, Barnes England
