Brandon Lewis accused of 'lining his own pockets' with second jobs

Brandon Lewis, the MP for Great Yarmouth, is now employed by four companies, including as an adviser to a housebuilder.

The £150,000 a year he will make from the firms comes in addition to the £86,584 basic salary he gets as an MP. 

The jobs, listed on the MP's register of interests, include £60,000-a-year gigs with property developer Thakeham Homes and infrastructure firm FM Conway. For each of those companies he works eight hours per month.

He also will make £30,000 a year as a consultant for Civitas Investment Management. This is for four hours work each month. 

The roles to an hourly rate of £625 - almost what the median UK full-time employee gets paid in a week, which was £640 in April 2022.

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Keir Cozens, the Labour candidate for Great Yarmouth, has criticised Brandon Lewis MP for taking on second jobs. (Image: Keir Cozens)

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Keir Cozens, Labour's candidate for Great Yarmouth, said: “Brandon Lewis has neglected Great Yarmouth for years. Families are struggling, crime is up, waiting times are up and there’s chaos at our border.

“Now is the time for our MP to be working around the clock to help people through this difficult time.

"Instead, part-time Tory MP Brandon Lewis has been lining his own pockets with cushy second jobs.

"We all know where his priorities lie and it’s Great Yarmouth that is paying the price," Mr Cozens said.

A spokesperson for the MP said: "Sir Brandon continues to work hard for Great Yarmouth, assisting large numbers of residents every week and banging the drum for investment into our community, such as the third river crossing which will be operational soon and will be a huge asset to our community and economy." 

In addition to the paid jobs, Mr Lewis is also an unpaid director of Woodlands Schools, based in Brentwood - more than 100 miles from Great Yarmouth.