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Mayor dismisses £250,000 second salary as 'chickenfeed'
14.07.09
London Mayor Boris Johnson dismissed the £250,000-a-year he earns from a second job as "chicken feed".
Mr Johnson also insisted it was "wholly reasonable" for him to write newspaper columns on the side because he did them "very fast".
The comments risk infuriating millions of Londoners struggling to make ends meet amid the economic downturn.
And they are unlikely to please David Cameron, who has ordered his shadow cabinet to give up extra work in the run-up to the general election to show their "commitment".
Mr Johnson, who is paid nearly £140,000 for his day job, was quizzed over his lucrative contract with the Daily Telegraph during an interview for the BBC's HARDTalk programme.
He responded: "It's chicken feed."
Pressed on whether voters would agree with that description, the mayor said he was being "frivolous".
But he went on: "I happen to write extremely fast. I don't see why on a Sunday morning I shouldn't knock off an article, if someone wants to pay me for that article then that's their lookout and of course I make a substantial donation to charity.
"Maybe that money shouldn't go to charity, maybe you'd rather I didn't make those contributions to charity. It seems to me to be a wholly reasonable thing to do."
Mr Johnson said: "I think that frankly there's absolutely no reason at all why I should not, on a Sunday morning before I do whatever else I need to do on a Sunday morning, should not knock off an article as a way of relaxation."
Mr Johnson decided to continue with his columns for the Telegraph after being elected last year, but donates £50,000 from his annual fee to charities.
Asked whether Mr Cameron approved of his extra work, the mayor seemed oblivious to the instructions issued by his party leader.
"Well I'm not a member of his shadow cabinet and I'd like to see what the detail of that is," he said.
Reader views (32)
What charity? The Tory Election kitty?
Hope Boris invests the money in bicycle lanes up and down the country. By now there would be a few more Mr Johnson - how about this idea?
- E Phillips, Leatherhead
How out of touch is this man?
- Ade, London
This would never have happened under the Tories.
- Cyberman, London
James Macleod Ritchie, Oyster Bay Cove: "Yes The Nu Labor cabal and the Red Ken's. Livingstone was serially corrupt "
Any evidence of this at all?
"and did nothing for London, the Congestion charge is an utter failure"
TfL's report in June 2007 found that the level of traffic of all vehicle types entering the central Congestion Charge Zone was now consistently 16% lower in 2006 than the pre-charge levels in 2002.
Result.
- Prj45, London
Haha, people are jealous that this man can write a few articles and get paid 1/4 of a million pounds. I say good on him. Lots of people have second jobs and this is no different. Get over it.
- Jei, London
The usual bunch of bitter Labor losers whingeing about others achievements. Just remember who has screwed up the UK economy, who wasted all the money, who got the country into two stupid wars, who failed to regulate the banks, who is incurring debt for our grandchildren to repay? Yes The Nu Labor cabal and the Red Ken's. Livingstone was serially corrupt and did nothing for London, the Congestion charge is an utter failure. Good on you Boris!
- James Macleod Ritchie, Oyster Bay Cove
Get real, the mans smart, he gets paid for what he writes, wish I had his ability and could do the same. I'm far more concerned with the overpaid members of this government, whose only ability has been to wreck the Country while still managing to keep their snouts in the trough.
- Frank, Dorchester Dorset
When Boris is off his guard (or most his diminishing band of minders are on their tea break) he reveals the things he really thinks, and that, unfortunately for Cameron, the Tory party is desperate to conceal.
I bet David Cameron loves him today!!! (Likewise Boris' supporters on this page who resort to personalised remarks and unsubstantiated claims about Boris' effectiveness and charm?)
Boris does hard-working Londoners no favours and he clearly has no respect for them either, whilst he is happy to spend their money having a "jolly good time". He's obviously finding this job quite a lot harder than he anticipated.
Mayor's Questions will be fun to watch tomorrow!
- Celia Blair, Wandsworth London
This is not public money we are talking about, it is none of our business what one idiot wants to pay another.
I would hate to live in a country where the idea that I could earn a considerable amount of money if I was able to was disapproved of.
Oh wait what does that remind me of; earning considerable amounts of money, owning two or more houses, sending your children to private schools, owning two or more Jags, etc, etc.
Would that be a load of preachy rich socialists in charge.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Guess he will be donating this tiny amount to charity.
- Dave, london
"I love having a mayor who makes me chuckle!"
That is probably one of the least funny, most depressing comments I've read for a while.
But when you've got people like that who hold the vote, it does explain a lot...
- Mike, London
Simple fact is this great town doesn't need a corrupt, inept buffoon as its leader, so get out and do us a favour. If £250,000 is chicken feed can I have some?
- Paul Hopkins, London, England
As the Telegraph has made a huge loss this year I trust that they will be asking employees to take pay cuts to help out. I'm sure Boris will set a good example.
- R Burton, Ealing England
Good point(s) Colin Amyes - should Boris be allowed to be in the employ of the telegraph given their recent impact on the political landscape?
I think Boris has had an extremely soft ride in the press so far, first from the standard, then the telegraph - pound for pound he is a lightweight politician.
Once he loses the protective blanket of positive press through his old boy network (standard has apparently now neutralised), he will become increasingly exposed for his routine blunders, lack of experience/ strategic vision/ leadership capability and his underlying hard right, old school tory stance, as is starting to show through now.
- Nick, Islington, London
That sums up the problem with sleazy Tory Politicians. If 250,000 is chicken-feed then the 22,000 that Tory MP's claim on expenses is in their eyes small change. Does Boris have any plans to visit the Planet Earth in the near future and talk to the inhabitants?
- F Frinton, Ealing England
Rich coming from a big Turkey
- Dac - Ealing, London
Its about time we introduced 60% tax on 2nd or extra jobs when the main job pays over £100k.
To avoid tax dodging the main job would be the one where most hours are put in, in this case "Mayor of London".
His attitude should be seen as a warning of what a Tory Government would be. One that Robs from the poor to give to the rich. Well millionaires need to save on inheritence tax to pass their wealth on while ordinary people have to sell their houses to pay for care homes.
Boris may say chickemn feed but his squill still shows how he has his snout in the trough!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
Ray Skinnerley, London
Dear Ray, this really isn't about politic left or right. It is about a man who obviously has no feet on the floor, running our city. To say a quarter of a million pounds is chicken feed/second income is absolutely incredible. It's lovely to know that the top 1% of the rich are still feathering their nests and the rest of us can F Off. They are our SERVANTS and this must never be forgotten. One false move, such as Boris making silly comments (again), they should be out, but they always pop up unscathed. It just shows how removed from reality MPs are, if they make comments such as these. Who is advising this div? I could! The door is that way ----->
- Rod, Epping, UK
Goodluck with the 2nd job.
Personally I would like a 1st job, on any revenue but I do not have the contacts experience to give similar story on MP's trough.
- William, Hay~Heath UK
Get lives you jealous labour luvvies.Boris is great for London.Has a worldwide profile and is loved and respected by millions.Keep up the good work Boris and ignore the lefties.
- Ray Skinnerley, London
A mayor so far removed from reality should be removed from office.
- Rod, Epping, UK
Eton rifles!
- Dan, brighton
Boris's Sunday morning's work for the Telegraph earns him more than ten times the annual salary of most editorial staff on weekly newspapers and freesheets, and a good few times more than the average national newspaper hack. All for a great exercise in self-promotion that would cost HIM hundreds of thousands of pounds if it said "advertisement" on the top of the page.
- Martyn L, kingston
#Colin Amyes, London SE3
Ladies and Gentlemen - we have finnaly found a Labour supporter on this board!! Wow! How does it feel to have voted for a party that is crippling the common man with massive taxation and loading dept onto your great grandchildren? Are you proud?
- Simon King, London
Boris. Some chicken, some feed.
- Shallotman, Basildon
I think it should be compulsory for elected politicians to write regular columns for theor local papers so that electors get to know what they think and what they're doing. If the papers want to pay them for this, that's up to to them and their shareholders.
Big fuss about nothing.
- John R., London
What Boris Johnson does in his spare time is up to him. If he writes articles for the Telegraph during his lunch break, while watching the telly at night with his wife, over breakfast with his kids, or on the loo in a morning, what business is that of anybody else? And if the Telegraph pays him a handsome sum, then good luck to him. If a newspaper offered anybody that kind of money would they really say 'no thanks....I really can't...I have another day job to hold down'? Get real, and anybody who whinges about Boris's sideline should consider whether it's their own spite or jealousy that is the issue.
- Richard, London
Describing £250k per annum as chicken-feed, when it's probably in line with what an average earner gets over 10 years full-time work, won't go down well with most Londoners. It gives an impression of arrogance and elitism and being out-of-touch with the real world.
- Ab, London
I love having a mayor who makes me chuckle!
- St, London
Boris gets 140k as mayor. Plus 250k from the newspaper who have written not one singleword about Boris's expenses, 100k a year. We are paying our mayor's mortgage for him. Boris is a complacent fool but his snout is in the trough along with the other graspers, and the media leave him alone. Boris has lost 6 aides in one year, Ken lost one in 6 years. Incompetent, grasping scrounger, get rid of him.
- Colin Amyes, London SE3
He is worth every penny.
- Fred, Surey
I don't see what the fuss is about? Its not like its taxpayers money, is it. If it was then there is reason to be annoyed. But it is private money from the telegraph, and if they want to pay him £250 000, then they have the right to pay him 250 000. He has the right to write for the telegraph, as long as it doesn't interfere with his primary job. Can anybody honestly say that if they were offered £250 000 pa, they would refuse it because some other people are struggling? I think it is just jealousy.
- Frank, London
