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Michael Gove takes aim at MPs over ‘£10,000 a day’ sting operation

Matt Hancock told a non-existent firm in South Korea his daily rate for consultancy would be £10,000 a day - Led by Donkeys/Twitter
Matt Hancock told a non-existent firm in South Korea his daily rate for consultancy would be £10,000 a day - Led by Donkeys/Twitter

A Cabinet minister has taken a veiled swipe at MPs caught demanding five-figure sums from a fake company in a sting operation investigating the appetite for second jobs in Westminster.

Former senior ministers Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng both told a non-existent firm in South Korea their regular rate for consultancy would be £10,000.

Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, said that “inevitably” people will reflect on the incident and think the “first duty” of an MP is to their constituents.

But he said it is “pretty clear” no rules were broken. MPs are allowed to seek employment outside of Parliament, so there is no accusation of wrongdoing.

Mr Gove also said those hit by the sting orchestrated by anti-Brexit group Led By Donkeys will have to "answer for themselves" on questions of due diligence, with their constituents acting as the “jury” on their actions at the next election.

Labour - which has called for a ban on MPs’ second jobs - called the behaviour “shameful”, while shadow minister Lucy Powell said she was "sickened" and "appalled" by the revelations.

Asked during an online “interview” as part of the undercover investigation whether he had a daily charge, Mr Hancock, the former health secretary, said: “I do, yes. It is 10,000 sterling.”

The now-independent MP, who was stripped of the Tory whip by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after he was announced as a contestant in last year’s series of ITV reality show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, later said he had an hourly rate of “around £1,500”.

A spokesman for Mr Hancock said the West Suffolk MP had “acted entirely properly and within the rules”.

Former Tory chancellor Mr Kwarteng, when asked the same question, said: “I would say as an MP, obviously I don’t need to earn a king’s ransom.

“But I wouldn’t do anything less than for about 10,000 dollars a month.”

Kwasi Kwarteng told a non-existent firm in South Korea his monthly rate for consultancy would be 10,000 dollars - Led by Donkeys/Twitter
Kwasi Kwarteng told a non-existent firm in South Korea his monthly rate for consultancy would be 10,000 dollars - Led by Donkeys/Twitter

Mr Kwarteng, whose mini-budget in September sent the value of the pound tumbling and mortgage rates soaring, went on to clarify that he would prefer the rate to be in pounds sterling.

Told by a fake employee of the company they were considering offering between £8,000 and £12,000 per day, with the intention for him to attend six board meetings a year, Mr Kwarteng said: “Ok yes, we’re not a million miles off. We can work with the numbers.”

Mr Gove told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that “all of us” will reflect on the investigation and consider where the focus of an MP should lie.

He said: “I think it's pretty clear that things that were offered and things that were considered were within the rules, but inevitably all of us will reflect on this and think the first duty of a Member of Parliament is towards their constituents - and ultimately, the really important thing is, is an MP delivering for their constituents? Is a Member of Parliament doing everything they can to put public service first?”

On matters of due diligence, he said: “The individuals concerned will have to answer for themselves.”

He later told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show: “There are rules that govern what Members of Parliament should do and what they should declare, but the jury here is the constituency - so it will be the case, come a general election, if Matt or Kwasi choose to stand again, that their constituents will decide.

“I think they're both talented people with a lot to offer in the future. but ultimately they will have to answer for the decisions that they've taken.”

Ms Powell told Ridge that being as MP is a “ whole lifetime commitment” as well as a “full time job”.

“Our constituents need us to be fully focused on that - not working out whether we've got other interests and whether we are pursuing other commercial ends in doing our jobs,” she said.

“So I was pretty appalled and sickened by those revelations. That's why we'll be redoubling our efforts to try and get second jobs banned for MPs.”