UK

Farage revealed as highest-earning MP, receiving £98,000 a month from GB News

The Clacton MP also said a gifted visit to the US was ‘to support a friend who was almost killed and to represent Clacton on the world stage’.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is receiving almost £98,000 a month for presenting GB News, according to a list of MPs’ registered financial interests
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is receiving almost £98,000 a month for presenting GB News, according to a list of MPs’ registered financial interests (Alberto Pezzali/PA)

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been revealed to be the highest-earning MP.

The MP for Clacton said he is receiving almost £98,000 a month for presenting GB News, for a reported 32 hours a week, as a full list of MPs’ registered financial interests was published on Friday.

During the general election, Mr Farage cancelled his show, which aired Monday to Thursday each week, to focus on campaigning, but following his success in Clacton he returned to the channel as a presenter.

Ofcom has repeatedly found that GB News has breached broadcasting rules on impartiality, which allow politicians to present current affairs programmes but not act as newsreaders.

The media watchdog has previously investigated programmes presented by former Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg as well as former Conservative minister Esther McVey and former backbencher Philip Davies.

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Despite the register of MPs’ interests listing the Reform leader’s income from GB News as £97,928.40 a month, Mr Farage said the income was for several months work for the channel.

A statement posted on social media site X said: “To be clear… the GB News sum paid to me and declared includes VAT, and was for several months of work.

“It was paid to my company, which has significant expenses.

“Sorry to disappoint the media.”

In addition to his work with GB News, Mr Farage received £16,597.22 from the paid video app Cameo and £4,000 for writing articles for The Telegraph.

Mr Farage’s total monthly hours of paid work outside of being an MP is given as 128, approximately 32 hours a week.

In his declaration of gifts, the Reform leader lists two ringside tickets to a boxing match between Derek Chisora and Joe Joyce.

The MP for Clacton visited the US from July 17 to 19 directly after the state opening of Parliament and just two weeks after the general election.

Reform UK MP Lee Anderson is paid £100,000 for his work for GB News
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson is paid £100,000 for his work for GB News (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)

Mr Farage referred to US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s recent assassination as the purpose given for his visit to Milwaukee was “to support a friend who was almost killed and to represent Clacton on the world stage”.

The cost of flights and accommodation for Mr Farage and one staffer is listed as £32,836.

Details of a £9,000 trip to Belgium in April were also given, donated by George Cottrell, a former senior adviser to Mr Farage, who was convicted of one count of wire fraud in the US.

On the visit to Brussels, Mr Farage spoke at the National Conservatism conference, where Conservative MP Suella Braverman and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban were also in attendance.

Lee Anderson, Reform MP for Ashfield, is receiving £100,000 a year from GB News for working eight hours a week, as well as £1,000 for writing an article for the Daily Express.

The British Association of Shooting and Conservation gifted the Ashfield MP an overnight stay, dinner and clay shoot which totalled £708 in March.