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 the Houghton and Sunderland South MP's register

These are the figures for Labour Houghton and Sunderland South MP, Bridget Phillipson from Monday, November 1.

She did not have any secondary employment

Ms Phillipson did not have any records for secondary employment, but she did receive hundreds in payments for her participation in surveys.

The following payments were received from Savanta ComRes of Melville Street in Edinburgh.

Payment of £75 expected for a survey completed on 10 October 2020. Hours: 10 mins. (Registered 09 November 2020)

Payment of £75 expected for a survey completed on 16 November 2020. Hours: 15 mins. (Registered 16 November 2020)

Payment of £75 expected for a survey completed on 23 January 2021. Hours. 20 mins. (Registered 05 July 2021)

Payment of £75 expected for a survey completed on 16 February 2021. Hours. 20 mins. (Registered 05 July 2021)

Payment of £75 expected for a survey completed on 14 March 2021. Hours. 20 mins. (Registered 05 July 2021)

Payment of £75 expected for a survey completed on 28 May 2021. Hours. 20 mins. (Registered 05 July 2021)

Payment of £75 expected for a survey completed on 25 June 2021. Hours. 20 mins. (Registered 05 July 2021)

Payment of £75 expected for a survey completed on 9 October 2021. Hours: 15 mins. (Registered 11 October 2021)

The following payments were received from YouGov of 50 Featherstone Street in London for completing opinion surveys.

28 October 2020, payment of £100 for a survey completed on 16 September 2020. Hours: 10 mins. (Registered 09 November 2020; updated 07 January 2021)

Payment of £60 expected for a survey completed on 5 November 2020. Hours: 10 mins. (Registered 09 November 2020)

Payment of £140 expected for a survey on 13 March 2021. Hours: 25 mins. (Registered 15 March 2021; updated 23 April 2021)

9 February 2021, payment of £100 for a survey on 20 January 2021. Hours: 25 mins. (Registered 23 April 2021)

Payment of £60 expected for a survey on 29 January 2021. Hours: 25 mins. (Registered 23 April 2021)

Payment of £100 expected for a survey on 21 February 2021. Hours: 20 mins. (Registered 23 April 2021)

Payment of £120 expected for a survey on 31 March 2021. Hours: 30 mins. (Registered 23 April 2021)

Payment of £110 expected for a survey on 5 May 2021. Hours: 25 mins. (Registered 05 May 2021)

Payment £50 expected for a survey on 13 May 2021. Hours: 10 mins. (Registered 25 May 2021)

Payment of £120 expected for a survey on 18 June 2021. Hours: 25 mins. (Registered 21 June 2021)

Payment of £120 expected for a survey completed on 22 July 2021. Hours: 20 mins. (Registered 26 July 2021)

Payment of £170 expected for a survey completed on 12 September 2021. Hours: 30 mins. (Registered 15 September 2021)

Payment of £120 expected for a survey completed on 9 October 2021. Hours: 30 mins. (Registered 11 October 2021)

Payment of £120 expected for a survey completed on 23 October 2021. Hours: 30 mins. (Registered 27 October 2021)

And a further payment of £200 is expected from CMD, 31 Carolside Avenue, Glasgow G76 7AA, for an interview on 23 September 2021. Hours: 30 mins. (Registered 13 October 2021)

All fees from the above entries were paid direct to the Houghton and Sunderland South Constituency Labour Party, according to the register.

The Northern Echo contacted Bridget Phillipson for comment.

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