In the past year, MPs in and around Romford and Brentwood have gone on trips abroad paid for by overseas donors and earned hundreds of pounds in extra income.
The register of interests, a system used by MPs to declare earnings on top of their salary, shows MPs in the area have travelled to Switzerland, Italy and Germany and earned extra income from polling groups and journalism.
Andrew Rosindell
Romford MP Andrew Rosindell had a flights and accommodation on a parliamentary study trip to Switzerland paid for by the Swiss Foreign Ministry.
The value of the trip, to Bern, Zurich and Zug on April 10 to 14, was given as around £2,300.
Registered on May 6, its purpose was listed as “participation in a parliamentary study trip with a focus on Swiss-UK relations, finance and trade, science and innovation”.
He also had his flight and accommodation on a private holiday to Italy paid for by Maurizio Bragagni, a private donor.
The trip, from September 11 to 17, was valued at £1,044.
The Conservative MP also received a donation in kind of printing of materials for constituency use, valued at £4,007.80 from Romford Conservative Support Club. The donation was received and registered on August 10.
Julia Lopez
Hornchurch and Upminster MP Julia Lopez earned an extra £950 for completing opinion surveys for polling company YouGov.
The payments, for between £80 and £170, were each for 30 minutes’ work completed in nine sessions between November 11, 2021 and October 20, 2022 and registered from December 13, 2021 to November 10, 2022.
In the register she said: “These fees are used to help defray costs incurred by my office and me in fulfilling my duties as an MP.”
She also had “flights, accommodation, transfers and an excursion” on a trip to Cadenabbia worth £723 paid for by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, a German political foundation.
The visit, between April 1 and 3, was to participate in the German British dialogue between the German CDU, a conservative German political party, and UK Conservative MPs.
Alex Burghart
Alex Burghart, Conservative MP for Brentwood and Ongar, declared only one item in his financial interests.
This was £200 for six hours’ work on a book review for the Spectator magazine, which was paid on April 5 and registered the next day.
Jon Cruddas
Dagenham and Rainham MP Jon Cruddas, who represents Wennington, earned an extra £1,070 for completing opinion surveys for polling company YouGov – although all the fees were donated to charity.
The payments, for between £50 and £200, were eight sessions of up to two hours’ work completed between January 13, 2022 and November 25, 2022 and registered from January 24 to November 25, 2022.
He also earned £900 for opinion surveys for polling group Ipsos MORI. This consisted of £225 for four sessions of two hours’ work each in January, March, August and September. These fees were also donated to charity.
The Labour MP also received £2,765.03 for 30 hours’ work across the year – just over £92 an hour - as Adjunct Associate Professor in British Government and Politics at Richmond University (the American International University in London).
He was also paid £1831.44 in book royalties from Polity Press on March 29. The work is estimated as 200 hours between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 and was registered on April 14.
All MPs were contacted for comment.
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