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 Newcastle East MP Nick Brown's register

These are the figures for Labour Newcastle East MP, Nick Brown from Monday, November 1.

How much did he make in second jobs and additional income

Mr Brown did not have any records for secondary employment, but did receive a payment of £275 for one surveys, with fees paid to a local initiative.

On July 6, 2021, he received the payment for a survery which took around an hour-and-a-half from Ipsos Mori of Thomas More Street in London. 

Did he receive any gifts, benefits or hospitality

There are no record of Mr Brown receiving any donations, gifts, hospitality or benefits on the register.

Extra entries on the register

Mr Brown has the following entries recorded as miscellaneous, which include declarations of involvement in local businesses where they may not receive an income.

Since October 2012, he has been a Non-Executive Director of Mariinksky Theatre Trust.

Since January 2011, he has been a trustee of the Biscuit Factory Foundation.

'I am a full time MP'

In response to the details on the register, he said: “None of the entries provide any payment to me. I do not have any outside financial interests. I am a full time MP”.

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