STANDARDS in public life have come under intense scrutiny in the last fortnight, leaving public confidence at an all-time low.

Many MPs have second jobs, with some, like Sir Geoffrey Cox coining in vast sums on top of their already high salaries.

Freebies, cash for answering questions and donations from the private sector are also the source of deep concern.

FULL LIST: The North East MPs raking in thousands in donations and second jobs

This week, The Northern Echo lifts the lid on where MPs in our region get their income as part of our The Money Trail investigation tracing the cash behind our MPs.

We tracked the cash trail using the Register of Members' Financial Interests, and while there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, there are some surprising results.

We're publishing the records held for every MP in the North East and North Yorkshire to help you understand how your politician compares.

What exactly is on the register

There are ten main categories on the register, which is maintained and updated by the Parliamentary for Commissioner for Standards, and require an MP to declare, where appropriate.

MPs in England must declare additional paid employment (second jobs), donations, gifts, hospitality and any homes where the value is more than £100,000 and/or provides rental income of more than £10,000 a year.

They must also declare any shares they have which amount to more than 15 percent of the issues share capital of that company or more than 15 percent of a partnership, while they must declare any shares valued more than £70,000.

When it comes to family, MPs are required to declare whether any members are employed and receive more than £700 in a calendar year as this comes from taxpayers' money (parliamentary expenses).

MPs are also required to declare the details of any family members involved in "lobbying," which is when an individual tries to persuade someone in Parliament to support a specific policy or campaign.

What's on Easington MP Grahame Morris' register 

These are the figures for Labour Easington MP, Grahame Morris as of Monday, November 1.

He does not have secondary employment

No entries were recorded on the register, meaning he does not receive income from a second job or additional work.

A donation worth almost £18,000 was made

Mr Morris received thousands worth of donations from the National Union of Journalists for the administration and coordination of the NUJ Parliamentary Group.

The MP is listed as being the chair, provided by Solidarity Consulting Ltd, between November 25, 2020 and November 24, 2021, with a value of £17,460.

He was paid £2,000 to attend the Labour Party conference

Mr Morris also received £2,070 worth of donations from Unite the Union for hotel accommodation for five nights during the Labour Party Conference between September 24 and 29.

He used to employ a family member 

The register states that the Easington MP employs his wife, Michelle Morris as his part-time Senior Secretary who is paid from parliamentary expenses.

What Grahame Morris office had to say

However, Mr Morris' office said that the entry relating to his wife is incorrect and the MP had not employed any connected parties since July 1, 2020.

His office did not make any further comments.

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