🚨MPs FOR HIRE – the final episode: Matt Hancock 🚨“I do, I do. It’s ten thousand sterling”

Investigating the Financial Interests of Politicians

In this transcript, Anthony Barnett investigates the financial interests of politicians and conducts an experiment to see if a serving Member of Parliament would consider taking a job furthering the interest of a foreign company on top of their constituency duties.

Job Interview with Sujon Lee

• Matt Hancock participates in a job interview with Sujon Lee, who is actually an undercover reporter.

• The fake company, Hanson Consulting, has no clients, no money, and no staff.

Taking Second Jobs as MPs

• It is not against parliamentary rules for an MP to take multiple jobs or work for a foreign company.

• There are no limits on what they can earn or how much time they can spend.

• A clear majority of the public thinks it's wrong for serving MPs to also work for a private company.

Pandemic Rules and Regulations

• Complicated rules were put in place during the pandemic that caused confusion among citizens.

• Boundary issues became a massive point of contention because they were difficult to set due to the state's level of intervention in people's lives.

Criticism Faced by Matt Hancock

• Matt Hancock faced criticism for going on "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here."

• Rishi Sunak stripped Hancock of the Tory Whip after he announced he would be standing down at an MP at the next election.

Working for Hanson Consulting

• Mr. Hancock confirms that he has time to help Hanson Consulting while still being an MP.

• He is available for six meetings a year and is willing to travel out of the country if necessary.

• Hanson Consulting may also request one-off meetings, and Mr. Hancock will be available for those as well.

Overall, this transcript highlights the lack of regulation surrounding MPs taking second jobs or working for foreign companies. It also sheds light on the confusion caused by pandemic rules and regulations. The experiment conducted by Anthony Barnett shows that even in the midst of a cost of living crisis, some serving MPs are still willing to consider taking jobs furthering the interests of foreign companies.

Arrangement of Fees

The speaker discusses the daily and hourly rates for their services.

Daily Rate

• The speaker's daily rate is 10,000 Sterling pounds.

Hourly Rate

• The speaker does not have an hourly rate but suggests a figure of around 1500 pounds.

Setting Up Meetings

The speaker discusses the possibility of setting up meetings with government officials.

Business Contacts

• The speaker offers to open up his contacts book of business connections to help set up meetings.

• He advises on who can be approached but cannot directly lobby due to parliamentary rules.

Conclusion

A summary of the meeting and a statement from Matt Hancock's spokesperson.

• The job interview wraps up with both parties agreeing to keep in touch.

• A spokesperson for Matt Hancock said that he acted within the letter and spirit of the rules, making it clear that his parliamentary and constituency duties are his primary responsibility.

• It is entirely expected that he should have exploratory conversations in the meantime as he is leaving Parliament at the next election.