GovernedByUK
All findings

Earnings on the side

From the current Register of Members' Financial Interests: speeches, legal work and directorships.

£6.1m
outside earnings, 52 people
£2.9m
donations to fund their work, 65 people
£0.3m
gifts and hospitality, 88 people

MPs and peers must declare outside income, donations and gifts in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. Of the ministers in this database, 199 currently have entries, mostly people still in the Commons or Lords.

The biggest sums go to former holders of the top jobs: after-dinner speeches by former prime ministers and chancellors, and legal work by former law officers.

Highest declared outside earnings
Sum of "Employment and earnings" entries on the current register, £
Top earners
  1. Rishi Sunak17 entries£3,014,639
  2. Geoffrey Cox37 entries£1,221,917
  3. Jeremy Hunt23 entries£362,600
  4. Oliver Dowden20 entries£276,518
  5. Angela Rayner9 entries£184,150
  6. Chris Bryant6 entries£110,716
  7. James Cleverly6 entries£95,350
  8. Andrew Mitchell2 entries£66,304
  9. Gavin Williamson2 entries£64,000
  10. John Hayes2 entries£55,880
The register shows current entries only, not a full history, and many entries have no amount. Serving ministers may not take paid outside work, so this is mostly former ministers.