Johnson declares 2.3m in outside earnings in last year

The former prime minister accounts for more than a quarter of the total declared by MPs (PA)

- CHRISTOPHER MCKEON

MPs have declared £8m in earnings on top of their parliamentary salaries, with Boris Johnson accounting for more than a quarter of the total. The former Tory prime minister earned £2.3m in the past 12 months, on top of the £84,000 salary he receives as an MP. Almost all of that money has come in since Mr Johnson left No 10 in September, and it includes 1.8m in speaking fees and 510,000 for his upcoming memoir.

News of the advance for Mr Johnson’s memoir came as it emerged that the taxpayer could end up contributing more than 222,000 in legal fees to defend the former prime minister in relation to a Commons inquiry into whether he misled parliament over Partygate.

Michael Gove defended Mr Johnson over reports that the then prime minister was told to stop asking Richard Sharp for advice” about his personal finances, just days before the latter was announced as the new BBC chair. According to the reports, Mr Johnson was warned by officials on 22 December 2020 to stop discussing his financial arrangements with Mr Sharp, whose appointment to the BBC role was due to be announced on 6 January 2021.