Greater Manchester's MPs have declared £1,611,920 in gifts, donations and outside earnings since the 2019 General Election, it has emerged. The vast majority was made by four of the region's most high-profile parliamentarians - Shadow Cabinet members Angela Rayner and Lisa Nandy, former Labour leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey and Sir Graham Brady, chair of the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee.
The figures have emerged after Sky News and the Tortoise news website launched a new database of MPs' outside earnings and donations. The database, called the Westminster Accounts, compiles records from the MPs' Register of Interests, the Electoral Commission and other official registers and aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the flow of money into British politics. You can find out how much your MP has earned by typing in your postcode here.
Ms Long-Bailey, who finished second to Keir Starmer in the 2020 Labour leadership election, declared the most of Greater Manchester's 27 MPs. The Salford and Eccles MP received donations and a gift worth a total of £406,800, including £249,300 from the Unite trade union and £76,830 from left-wing political organisation Momentum.
That puts her in the top two per cent of all MPs with only 10 other members having taken in more money than her. Angela Rayner, Labour's deputy leader and MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, declared financial interests worth £300,200, the vast majority of which were donations from trade unions.
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, is also in the top 20 for MPs' earnings. She has declared financial interests worth £286,700, again, the vast majority of which were donations from trade unions.
Altrincham and Sale West MP Sir Graham Brady declared the most of the region's Conservative MPs and also earnt the most in outside work. Sir Graham declared £193,500, which included £46,470 he was paid for his work with the Dods Group and also earnt £29,270 from Snowshill Alliance Holdings.
Across the country two-thirds of the outside earnings were made by just 20 MPs, with Tories making up 17 of the 20 highest earners.
Former prime minister Theresa May is the highest-earning MP, receiving £2.8 million in payments and gifts. Most of this income relates to Mrs May's speaking engagements, which her entry in the MPs' Register of Interests states are paid to the Office of Theresa May Ltd and used to pay for staff and charitable work.
The register also states Mrs May receives £85,000 per year from her private office. Second on the list is former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox, who has received £2.1 million in outside earnings and gifts since 2019.
Sir Geoffrey was criticised in 2021 for using a proxy to vote in the House of Commons while he was working on a public inquiry in the British Virgin Islands. Former prime minister Boris Johnson is third on the list, having received £1.2 million since December 2019, including more than £1 million in speaker's fees since he left Downing Street in September 2022.
Speaking to reporters in West Yorkshire on Monday, Rishi Sunak said it was important MPs followed transparency rules. The Prime Minister added: "I think transparency is really important. And that's why we have a set of rules and regulations in place to provide that transparency for people, and it's important that those rules are adhered to."
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also welcomed the publication of the Westminster Accounts, telling Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme 'transparency is a good thing'.
He added: "I think we've got some of the strongest rules in terms of what we have to declare, but the more transparency the better, so that everybody can see exactly what has been declared and ask whatever questions they want to about it."
Many MPs contacted by the Manchester Evening News clarified that money received in the form of donations or gifts were not 'outside earnings' but money used to directly fund campaigns or pay for events or trips relevant to their portfolio. It is not money they made on top of their salary, with their salary their one source of income. All MPs are paid a base salary of £84,144.
How much Greater Manchester's MPs have declared in outside earnings and donations since 2019
Graham Brady (Con) - Altrincham and Sale West
Mr Brady has declared 124 financial interests worth £193,500 of payments and gifts. The largest single item he declared was a £20,000 donation from Savvas Savouri.
His biggest overall financial interest came from his work with the Dods Group, for which he was paid £46,470. He also earnt £29,270 from Snowshill Alliance Holdings.
The top five sources are: Dods Group, Snowshill Allied Holdings, Savvas Savouri, The House Magazine and Primary Access and Research.
The value of Sir Graham's interests put him in the top six per cent of MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, only 36 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Angela Rayner (Lab) - Ashton-under-Lyne
Ms Rayner has declared 47 financial interests worth approximately £300,200. The largest single item Ms Rayner has declared is a donation worth £50,000 from Lord Waheed Alli. She also received gifts and donation totalling £88,680 from the GMB trade union and £27,000 in donations from the Communication Workers Union.
Ms Rayner's interests came from 24 different sources. The top five sources are: GMB Union, Lord Waheed Alli, The Communications Workers Union (CWU), Martin Taylor and Trevor Chinn.
The value of Ms Rayner’s interests puts her in the top three per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, only 16 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Angela Rayner, MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, said: “Being an MP is a full time job and for me personally, there are not enough hours in the day for me to have a second job alongside fulfilling my duties as an MP. I do think it’s a grey area and that is why I have said a Labour government would set up an independent ethics commission to look at what is and is not acceptable.
“The donations I received were to help me run my campaign to become Deputy Leader. I had to recruit a team and travel up and down the country. The cost of this is not, and should not be, funded by either the tax payer or by the Labour Party and so these donations helped me to launch that campaign. I would not have been able to run for this role without those donations. I did not personally benefit from them.”
Rebecca Long-Bailey (LAB) - Salford and Eccles
Ms Long-Bailey has declared 12 financial interests in donations and a gift worth £406,800. The value of Ms Long-Bailey’s interests puts her in the top 2 per cent of all MPs with only only 10 members having taken in more money than her.
This includes £249,300 from Unite and £76,830 from Momentum Campaign (Services).
Ms Long-Bailey’s 12 interests come from five different sources. Those five sources are: Unite, Momentum Campaign (Services), The Communications Workers Union (CWU), Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT).
Salford and Eccles Labour MP Rebecca Long Bailey, told the MEN: "I have no outside earnings whatsoever, beyond my salary as an MP. During my Labour leadership election campaign in 2020 I called upon all candidates to disclose who was funding their election campaigns to lead the party.
"I was proud to publicly disclose all my funding and that my donations came solely from trade unions and Labour members who support an extension of workers' rights, a plan to end ''In Work' Poverty by increasing the living wage, and taxing the rich to properly fund free public services. There must be full transparency over who donors are and use of donations, a ban on donations from tax avoiders, the introduction of a new and detailed and publicly available lobbying register and a ban on second jobs for MP’s."
Lisa Nandy (LAB) - Wigan
Ms Nandy has declared 43 financial interests worth £286,700 in donations, gifts, and payments. The largest single item she has declared is a donation worth £25,000 from Jason Stockwood.
Ms Nandy’s biggest overall financial interest came from donations from the GMB Unions worth £75,130. She also received donations worth £35,000 overall from Jason Stockwood and £22,320 from Ministry of Sound. The top five sources are: GMB Union, Jason Stockwood, Ministry of Sound, Andrew Collis and Simon Tuttle.
The value of Ms Nandy’s interests puts her in the top 3 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, only 18 members have taken in more money than this MP.
A spokesman for Lisa Nandy said: "All donations to Lisa’s office are declared in line with parliamentary rules. Many of the donations highlighted by Sky News were received as part of the Labour leadership election in 2020, to cover staff salaries and office running costs. All future donations will continue to be fully and transparently declared in line with the rules."
Graham Stringer (Lab) - Blackley and Broughton
Mr Stringer has declared 43 financial interests worth approximately £3,730 from four different sources - YouGov, Savanta ComRes, Yonder Consulting and Ipsos MORI. The largest single item Mr Stringer has declared is £200 in secondary earnings from Ipsos MORI.
The value of Mr Stringer's interests puts him in the bottom 22 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 514 members have taken in more money than him.
Mark Logan (Con) - Bolton North East
Mr Logan has declared eight financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £14,680. The largest single item Mr Logan has declared is a donation worth £5,000 from Mustafa Mohammed.
The value of Mr Logan's interests puts him in the bottom 49 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 332 members have taken in more money than him.
Yasmin Qureshi (Lab) - Bolton South East
Ms Qureshi has declared 30 financial interests from eight different sources worth the equivalent of £24,100. The largest single item Ms Qureshi has declared is a donation worth £5,000 from Bestway Group.
The top five sources are Concordia Network, Bestway Group, Kuwait National Assembly, Intro Developments and Omar Megeresi.
The value of Ms Qureshi’s interests puts her in the top 37 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 241 members have taken in more money than this MP.
A spokesman for Ms Qureshi said that her financial interests are transparently declared and routinely updated. They added that she has no regular second income.
Chris Green (Con) - Bolton West
Mr Green has declared 11 financial interests from different four different sources worth the equivalent of £7,580. The largest single item Mr Green has declared is a donation worth £5,000 from IX Wireless.
The four sources are: IX Wireless, Ipsos MORI, Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) and YouGov. The value of Mr Green's interests puts him in the bottom 32 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 443 members have taken in more money than this MP.
James Daly (Con) - Bury North
Mr Daly has declared 33 financial interests from 14 sources worth the equivalent of £47,770. The largest single item Mr Daly has declared is a donation worth £5,050 from Robert D Calrow.
His biggest overall financial interest came from his work with Bury council for which he was paid £11,700. The top five sources are: Bury council, IX Wireless, Robert D Calrow, Stalbury Trustees and The Carlton Club.
The value of Mr Daly's interests puts him in the top 21 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 138 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Christian Wakeford (Lab) - Bury South
Mr Wakeford has declared 27 financial interests from 13 sources worth a total of £26,230. The largest single item Mr Wakeford has declared is a donation worth £2,500 from The Carlton Club.
The top five sources are: Lancashire County Council, IX Wireless, The Carlton Club, Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) and D Contracts. The value of Mr Wakeford's interests puts him in the top 34 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 223 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Mr Wakeford told the MEN: "Last year I was proud to continue my education on the Holocaust and was honoured to be invited to attend and speak at the Babyn Yar and visit Auschwitz. I was incredibly grateful that the European Jewish Association and March of the Living UK paid for my flights and accommodation as part of this."
Mary Robinson (Con) - Cheadle
Ms Robinson has declared five financial interests from five different sources worth the equivalent of approximately £15,000. Those five sources are: Business and Professionals Club, Mark Davies, The Carlton Club, The United & Cecil Club and IX Wireless.
The largest single item Ms Robinson has declared is a donation worth £5,500 from Business and Professionals Club. Ms Robinson's declarations put her in the top 50 per cent of MPs, since the start of the current parliament.
Andrew Gwynne (Lab) - Denton and Reddish
Mr Gwynne has declared four financial interests from three different sources - Unite, Coalition for Global Prosperity and Friends of the British Overseas Territories - worth the equivalent of £11,100. The largest single item Mr Gwynne has declared is a donation worth £5,000 from Unite.
This puts Mr Gwynne in the bottom 42 per cent of all MPs.
William Wragg (Con) - Hazel Grove
Mr Wragg has declared 12 financial interests from six different sources worth around £25,540. The largest single item Mr Wragg has declared is a donation worth £6,830 from Bacon Estates.
The top five sources are: Bacon Estates, The Carlton Club, Dukehill Services, John Wilkson and The United & Cecil Club. The value of Mr Wragg's interests puts him in the top 35 per cent of all MPs.
Since the start of the current parliament, 228 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Chris Clarkson (Con) - Heywood and Middleton
Mr Clarkson has declared three financial interests from three sources - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar, The Carlton Club and Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) - worth around £12,470. The largest single item Mr Clarkson has declared is a gift worth £7,670 from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar.
The value of Mr Clarkson's interests puts him in the bottom 44 per cent of all MPs, since the start of the current parliament.
James Grundy (Con) - Leigh
Mr Grundy has declared 19 donations, gifts and payments from two different sources - Wigan Council and Ipsos MORI - worth around £18,110. The largest single item Mr Grundy has declared is £1,070 in secondary earnings from Wigan Council.
The value of Mr Grundy's interests puts him in the top 44 per cent of all MPs.
Yvonne Fovargue (Lab) - Makerfield
Yvonne Fovargue has declared three financial interests from three sources - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar, Union of Shop, Distributive & Allied Workers (USDAW) and The Finance & Leasing Association - worth approximately £6,250. The largest single item Ms Fovargue has declared is a gift worth £3,920 from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar.
The value of Ms Fovargue's interests puts her in the bottom 28 per cent of all MPs.
Mike Kane (Lab) - Wythenshawe and Sale East
Mr Kane has declared four financial interests worth £44,360 in gifts and payments. The single largest item he has declared is a donation worth £17,710 from Catholic Bishops Conference England and Wales.
Mr Kane’s financial interests came from three different sources: Catholic Bishops Conference England and Wales, Cardinal Maritime, and Community Union.
The value of Mr Kane’s interests puts him in the top 23 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 150 members have taken in more money than this MP. A spokesman for Mr Kane said he had no comment to make at this time.
Barabar Keeley (LAB) - Worsley and Eccles South
Ms Keeley has declared 50 financial interests worth £8,460 in gifts and payments. The largest single item Ms Keeley has declared is a donation worth £1,310 from Unite.
Her biggest overall financial interest came from Unite, which donated £2,580 overall. Her 50 interests came from eight different sources. Ms Keeley’s top five sources are: Unite, Savanta ComRes, YouGov, Society of London Theatre and Royal Opera House.
The value of Ms Keeley’s interests puts her in the bottom 34 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 431 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Kate Green (LAB) - Stretford and Urmston (now Andrew Western)
Ms Green declared four financial interests in donations, gifts, payments and other benefits worth £18,960, before stepping down as an MP to become Greater Manchester's deputy mayor. The largest single item she declared was a donation worth £13,000 from Good Faith Partnership LLP.
Ms Green’s biggest overall financial interest came from donations from the Good Faith Partnership LLP worth £13,000. The value of Ms Green’s interests puts her in the top 43 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 281 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Kate Green became the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester in December last year, and has been replaced as MP by Andrew Western. A spokesman for her said: "Donations made to the Deputy Mayor’s Parliamentary office, during her time as an MP, were to support her work on refugee and migration policy, and tackling extremism. It would be inaccurate to describe these payments as outside earnings and the Deputy Mayor did not benefit financially from these donations.
"Donations from Good Faith Partnership LLP and The Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy were in the form of a seconded employee attached to the parliamentary office to advise on refugee and migration policy, and a study visit to meet refugee organisations in Calais. The Forward Thinking donation supported a visit to Northern Ireland to look at measures to tackle extremism and radicalisation.
"All donations were properly recorded on the parliamentary register of members’ financial interests."
Navendu Mishra (LAB) - Stockport
Mr Mishra has declared nine financial interests in donations, gifts, payments and other benefits worth £11,860. The largest single item Mr Mishra has declared is a donation worth £2,750 from Momentum Campaign (Services).
Mr Mishra’s biggest overall financial contribution came from the Unite Union worth £4,980. He also received a gift from Unite worth £1,170 and two gifts from the State Bank of India worth £2,770.
The value of Mr Mishra’s interests puts him in the bottom 43 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 372 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Mr Mishra told the MEN: "I have received no additional personal income since being elected as a Member of Parliament in 2019. It is correct - and indeed a key part of our democracy - that MPs interests are scrutinised.
"However, all donations I have received - which are outlined in the Register of Members' Financial Interests - have been related to my election campaign and parliamentary work, including hosting a Diwali reception in the Palace of Westminster for MPs and members of the Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities."
Jonathan Reynolds (LAB) - Stalybridge and Hyde
Mr Reynolds has declared 10 financial interests in donations and gifts worth £50,560. The largest single item Mr Reynolds has declared is a donation worth £15,180 from Natwest Group PLC.
Mr Reynolds’ biggest overall financial contribution came from Unite worth £16,490. Next was Natwest Group PLC with overall donations worth £15,180.
The value of Mr Reynolds’s interests puts him in the top 20 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 128 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Tony Lloyd (LAB) - Rochdale
Mr Lloyd has only declared three financial interests, all of which are donations. These total to £7,000. The largest single item Mr Lloyd has declared is a donation worth £3,000 from Unite. The smallest single item is a donation worth £2,000 from GMB Union.
He also received a donation worth £2,000 from Paul Ormerod, an economist, author, and entrepreneur from Rochdale. Mr Ormerod is also the chairman of the Rochdale Development Agency, which is controlled by Rochdale Borough Council, and encourages and assists investment in the borough.
The value of Mr Lloyd’s interests puts him in the bottom 31 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 455 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Jim McMahon (LAB) - Oldham West and Royton
Mr McMahon has declared 21 financial interests totalling £6,020 from donations and payments. The largest single item Mr McMahon has declared is a donation worth £2,000 from Union of Shop, Distributive & Allied Workers (USDAW).
He also received a donation worth £2,000 from the GMB Union. Overall Mr McMahon’s 21 interests come from seven different sources.
The value of Mr McMahon’s interests puts him in the bottom 28 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 472 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Debbie Abrahams (LAB) - Oldham East and Saddleworth
Ms Abrahams has only declared one financial interest since 2019. This was a gift worth £15,590 from the Government of Pakistan.
This one gift puts her in the top 49 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 321 members have taken in more money than her.
A spokesperson for Ms Abrahams said the sum 'relates to the costs associated with a five-day fact-finding visit to Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in February 2020, paid for by the Pakistan Government and covering the travel and accommodation costs of Ms Abrahams as well as two members of her staff'.
The spokesperson added: "The visit was undertaken by a delegation of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Kashmir (APPKG) of which Ms Abrahams is the Chair.
"The APPKG is a well-represented group from all political parties with parliamentarians of Indian, Pakistani & Kashmiri heritages, & Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian religions and those with no religious affiliations. The focus of the APPKG under Ms Abrahams’ chairship has been on promoting human rights across all Kashmir.
"In January 2020, following four months of lockdown in Indian-administered Kashmir related to changes in India’s constitution and the publications of the 2019 UN report on human rights issues in Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, Ms Abrahams approached both the Indian and Pakstani Governments to see if British Parliamentarians could have unfettered access to visit the region and meet with Kashmiris during the February 2020 recess. Ms Abrahams received an immediate reply from the Pakistan High Commission.
"However despite a number of requests she did not receive a reply from the Indian High Commission. On behalf of the APPKG, Ms Abrahams and her team planned the visit to Islamabad, Muzzafrabad, the Line of Control and Golpur.
As with all APPG and Select Committee visits, the costs associated with the visit have been declared with the British Parliamentary authorities. Neither Ms Abrahams or the APPKG received a cash payment from any individual, organisation or Government in association with the visit.
"Following the visit, a delegation of parlimentarians led by Ms Abrahams met with the UK Foreign Minister, Lord Ahmad to discuss their findings and concerns. Ms Abrahams also convened a Back Bench Business Debate on the matter in September 2021. This was held a year after her application purportedly because of time pressures on business in the House of Commons and the impact of Covid."
Jeff Smith (Lab) - Manchester, Withington
Mr Smith has declared nine financial interests, eight of which are gifts with the remaining one being a donation. This totalled £9,760.
The largest single item Mr Smith has declared is a gift worth £2,600 from PRS for Music. The second largest was a donation from the Union of Shop, Distributive & Allied Workers (USDAW) worth £2,000.
The value of Mr Smith’s interests puts him in the bottom 38 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 405 members have taken in more money than this MP.
Mr Smith told the M.E.N that the declarations he has made are the 'nominal cost of tickets for events I’ve been invited to in my capacity as a Shadow Minister in the Culture, Media and Sport team' and that he has no other earning other than his MP salary. The donation from the trade union was for the local Labour campaign fund, he added.
Afzal Khal (LAB) - Manchester, Gorton
Mr Khan has declared nine financial interests since the 2019 election, all of which are ‘gifts and other benefits’. These were worth £17,140 overall.
The largest single item Mr Khan has declared is a gift worth £7,510 from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar, which was registered in October 2021. His second largest gift came from Concordia Network, worth £3,720.
The value of Mr Khan’s interests puts him in the top 46 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 303 members have taken in more money than this MP.
A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: "Mr Khan takes transparency very seriously. He complies with all the rules and regulations set down by the House, and is more than happy to discuss entries in the register with constituents who get in touch.
"The entry from the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affair relates to a visit made by Mr Khan to the State of Qatar in 2021 in his capacity as a member of the British-Qatari APPG, principally to discuss Qatar's role supporting unaccompanied child refugees following the humanitarian crisis subsequent to the US/UK withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Ministry covered flights, accommodation, internal travel and meals."
Lucy Powell (LAB) - Manchester Central
Ms Powell has declared 18 financial interests, 15 of which are gifts. The total for these interests came to £21,850 overall.
The largest single item Ms Powell has declared is a donation worth £5,000 from Common Good Labour. The largest gift she received was £2,600 from PRS for Music. She also received £2,140 from Channel 4.
The value of Ms Powell’s interests puts her in the top 39 per cent of all MPs. Since the start of the current parliament, 257 members have taken in more money than this MP.
A spokesperson for Lucy Powell said: "The vast majority of the entries on this list relate to Lucy’s role as Shadow Culture Secretary for attending events in that capacity. The other donations from 2019 largely relate to donations made to Lucy’s constituency Labour Party for the purposes of the general election campaign."
*The Manchester Evening News has contacted every MP in the region to ask if they wished to comment on their financial declarations.
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