Most of the country is outraged and Downing Street is also embarrassed. but for traditionalists In the wealthy suburb, the way MP Sir Geoffrey Cox is collecting his non-parliamentary earnings is nothing short of a badge of pride.
Last month, former Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s Asher and the Tories in the Walton constituency invited Cox to address an “autumn lunch” at Burhill Golf Club.
A poster to advertise the event stated that Cox was “the most charismatic speaker full of jost and drama” who, before being appointed attorney general and leaving his private practice, was “the highest-paid parliamentarian in the UK”. “.
In hot water after MP, barrister and former attorney general daily mail revealed last week that he had earned hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees working in the Caribbean amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Cox, long known as one of Parliament’s big earners, took advantage of pandemic lockdown rules to cast a vote in the Commons 4,000 miles away while he was busy Advising the Prime Minister of the Virgin Islands In the corruption case brought by the British Foreign Office.
Amid the resulting uproar over his actions, Cox quickly confirmed that he had, in fact, earned more than £1m from his legal work this year, a large portion of which was for Caribbean assignments, on top of his £82,00 salary. as an MP.
Labor’s Shadow Justice Secretary David Lamy said it was surprising Tories Asher and Walton could promote Cox in the constituency’s program poster because of how much he earned rather than because of his public service.
Although he didn’t break any rules, the limits on these personal earnings were not looking good at a time when Boris Johnson was battling to withdraw a tsunami of Tory Sledge’s allegations. “You judge MPs not by how much they earn but what they do for their constituents and what they do in Parliament,” Lamy said.
The incident in his constituency may explain why Raab, when asked whether Cox’s earnings were justified, did his best not to criticize his former cabinet colleague, saying it was up to constituents to decide whether to vote for their own. Do justice to
Analysis of the register of interests of MPs Guardian showed that Cox has Around £6m. earned From his work as a barrister outside parliament since being elected as a Conservative MP for Torris and West Devon in 2005.
Eicher and the Walton Conservative Party were contacted for comment.