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BBC’s £20k of payments to MPs so far this year more than combined total for national newspapers

By William Turvill

MPs have registered more payments from the BBC than all of the UK's national newspapers combined so far in 2014.

According to the most up-to-date register of interests, published on 28 April, the corporation paid MPs £20,000 in the first four months of the year.

Some £8,000 of this went to Conservative MP Rory Stewart for documentary work, and Labour's Alan Johnson was paid £5,317, between 16 December 2013 and 27 March 2014, for BBC work.

Meanwhile, Dianne Abbott, also Labour, has been paid £2,800 for regular appearances on This Week.

Sadiq Khan (Labour) and Tim Loughton (Conservative) have both been paid £1,500 for appearances on Have I Got News For You this year.

According to the latest register of MPs’ financial interests, national newspapers have so far this year paid MPs a total of £17,905.40

The majority of this has been paid by the Telegraph and Mail titles.

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The Telegraph has so far paid MPs £6,990 this year, according to the register, including a monthly payment of £400 to Douglas Carswell (Conservative) to write three blog posts a week. Peter Hain (Labour), meanwhile, was paid £1,650 for a Sunday Telegraph article last month.

The Mail titles have so far paid MPs £6,100 for their work this year. David Davis (Conservative) has been paid £3,800 for three articles and Nadine Dorries (Conservative) has been paid £1,900.

Next down the list, The Times and Sunday Times paid £2,000 to MPs on the register.

The Financial Times has paid John Barron (Conservative) £2,000 so far this year. And The Independent has paid £1,250 to Chris Bryant (Labour), as well as £165.40 to Jack Straw (Labour).

So far this year The Sun, Mirror titles and the Daily Star have registered no payments to MPs.

In terms of journalistic work for broadcasters aside from the BBC, Sky News has paid Rehman Chishti (Conservative) and Tessa Jowell (Labour) £750 and £900 respectively. Elsewhere, George Galloway (Respect) has been paid £6,400 for his Russia Today work by Associated Press.

London Mayor Boris Johnson is by far the best paid UK politician when it comes to media work. He is reported to earn £250,000 a year for a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph which he once said he "knocks off on a Sunday morning". 

Note: These are payments that have been registered by MPs for 2014 work. There may have been a number of payments that have not yet been registered. Press Gazette will endeavour to update this list every couple of months.

We searched for payments to national newspapers, the BBC and other broadcasters, including payments for journalistic work. There are other magazine and media payments from the register that have not been included in this table.

Member of Parliament News organisation Amount paid in 2014 so far
Diane Abbott (L) BBC (This Week) £2,800
John Barron (C) Financial Times £2,000
Kevin Barron (L) Guardian £150
Julian Brazier (C) Times £500
Chris Bryant (L) Independent £1,250
Douglas Carswell (C) Telegraph

£1,600*

Rehman Chisti (C) Sky News £750
David Davis (C) Times £800
David Davis (C) Mail £3,200
Glyn Davies (C) BBC (Welsh Language) £150
Nadine Dories Mail £1,900
Stephen Dorrell (C) BBC (Any Questions) £150
Michael Dugher (L) Guardian £90
Michael Fabricant (C) BBC (Any Questions) £150
Tim Farron (LD) Guardian £142.50
Frank Field (L) BBC (Any Questions) £150
George Galloway (R) Associated Press (for Russia Today) £6,400
Peter Hain (L) Telegraph £1,650
Julian Huppert (LD) Guardian £142.50
Alan Johnson (L) BBC (various) £5,317
Tessa Jowell (L) Sky News £900
Sadiq Khan (L) BBC (HIGNFY) £1,500
David Lammy (L) Guardian £285
Tim Loughton (C) BBC (HIGNFY) £1,500
Jesse Norman (C) Telegraph £225
Dominic Raab (C) Times £700
Dominic Raab (C) Telegraph £220
Dominic Raab (C) Mail £1,000
Dominic Raab (C) Evening Standard £200
Jacob Rees-Mogg (C) Telegraph £200
Rory Stewart (C) Telegraph £1,200
Rory Stewart (C) BBC (documentary) £8,200
Jack Straw (L) Independent £165.40
Sarah Teather (LD) BBC (Any Questions) £150
Sarah Wollaston (C) Guardian £285
     

 

  *According to the register, Douglas Caresell is paid £400 a month for three articles a week in the Telegraph

 

 

 

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