Great Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis has sparked outrage for his decision to take on a new role working for a company partly owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs.
But the job is just the latest in a run of new positions that have appeared on the Conservative MP’s CV this year, with half a dozen extra gigs since January.
He effectively gets paid £625 per hour for his additional jobs, almost what the median UK full-time employee gets paid in a week, which was £640 in April 2022.
Here are the seven jobs Sir Brandon currently has:
Woodlands Schools
Initially, Sir Brandon’s role was described as a paid director of Woodlands Schools but in the month after taking the post he waived the fee.
While he does not claim the £60,000 offered by the company, he retains the use of a company car valued at £10,000.
He advises the company on “growth opportunities”.
Woodlands, which runs nursery to junior schools, is based in rural Essex, some hundred miles from Great Yarmouth.
The role is for eight hours a week and he started in January 2023.
Thakeham Homes
For Thakeham Homes Sir Brandon is an advisor to the CEO and board, helping them develop “future business growth plans”.
Thakeham Homes is a housing developer based in the south east of England, with developments in Surrey and Sussex – areas more than 100 miles away from his constituency.
Sir Brandon told the government’s advisory committee on business appointments (ACOBA) that the role would not involve any contact with the government.
He is paid £60,000 a year for the job which is expected to be around eight hours of work per month. This equates to £625 per hour.
He started the role on April 11.
FM Conway
FM Conway is an infrastructure company working in “transportation, environment and public realm”.
Its website states it is a UK-based civil engineering contractor specialising in highways and similar work.
Sir Brandon has said he works with the group as an adviser on business strategy.
The role does not involve any contact with the government.
He will also be paid £60,000 per year for eight hours of work a month for the role.
He started the role on April 17.
Civitas Investment Management
Civitas describes itself as a “leading impact investor” which acts on behalf of “institutions around the world”. It invests in social housing and mental health care in the UK.
Sir Brandon works as a consultant for the company, advising the governance board.
He makes £30,000 a year for four hours' work. This works out to £625 per hour.
He started the role on June 14.
Adam Smith institute
While Sir Brandon is described as an unpaid patron of the Adam Smith Institute on the company’s website, his discussions with ACOBA described the role as a “co-president or director”.
The institute is a think tank which promotes “free market, neoliberal ideas” including drug legalisation, reducing certain taxes and abolishing the Green Belt to allow housing to be built on farmland.
The institute describes its patrons as “senior figures in politics, business or civil society who share a belief in the power of free markets, innovations and the teachings of Adam Smith”.
Smith was an 18th century Scottish economist, described by some as the “father of economics”.
Sir Brandon joined as a patron in June, alongside fellow former Conservative cabinet member Nadhim Zahawi.
They share their “decades of experience and insight” with the institution.
He took up the post on June 14.
LetterOne
The move to LetterOne, Sir Brandon’s latest employer, has proven to be controversial.
The company was founded by Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven who were placed on the UK’s sanctions list following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While LetterOne has restructured itself to comply with sanctions, the businessmen still own 49pc of the shares.
The firm is an investment company which focuses on energy, technology, health and retail.
Perhaps its best-known asset is the health food chain Holland and Barrett, which it bought in 2017. It also owns telecommunications companies in Turkey and a Spanish discount supermarket.
Sir Brandon is set to be chair of a new advisory board set up by the company, which will look at business growth.
How much the MP will earn and how many hours he is expected to work is currently unknown.
Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth
The role of an MP is to represent their constituents - whether they voted for them or not - as well as their political party.
While in the past it was typical for an MP to balance a second job with representing their constituents in recent years it has become more controversial.
When Boris Johnson was prime minister he suggested “reasonable” restrictions should be introduced but this did not proceed.
For his full-time job as an MP, Sir Brandon makes £86,584.
He was first elected in 2010.
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