Top ten earner for Blackburn MP Jack Straw outside Westminster (From Blackburn Citizen)
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Top ten earner for Blackburn MP Jack Straw outside Westminster
3:00pm Thursday 23rd August 2012 in News
By Jack Straw, MP for Blackburn
JACK STRAW Blackburn outside earnings: £150,000
BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw earned more than £150,000 from work outside Westminster in the last year putting him in the top ten of outside earners.
While not in the same league as ex-Premier Gordon Brown, who took home more than £900,000, or fellow former foreign secretary David Milliband who collected £410,000, Mr Straw’s income dwarfs that of his East Lancashire political colleagues.
His nearest East Lancashire competitor, Rossendale and Darwen Tory Jake Berry, picked up £17,000 mainly earned as a legal consultant to a Manchester solicitors’ firm.
Ribble Valley’s Nigel Evans and Chorley’s Lindsay Hoyle, both Commons deputy speakers, earned not an additional penny on top of their MP’s annual salary of £65,738.
Mr Straw, who served as Home Secretary, Lord Chancellor and leader of the Commons as well as Foreign Secretary, collected £157,070 from his outside earnings according the Register of MPs Financial Interests for the 12 months up to July 30 this year.
This placed him tenth in the extra income league, just behind his former Labour Cabinet colleague Alistair Darling’s £172,345.
Mr Straw received £5,310 for writing articles in national newspapers, £59,300 for speaking engagements, and £61,710 for acting as a consultant for E D and F MAN, the world’s oldest surviving sugar and molasses traders.
The Blackburn MP since 1979 also received the second of his two £30,750 advances from Macmillan’s for his autobiography.
He said: “When we discussed this in cabinet and the hair-shirt brigade said that no MPs should have second jobs, I pointed out that we all had second jobs as ministers and well paid ones at that.
“When I was in opposition I used what little I earned to pay towards my office and researchers. I still do that and I do give quite a lot to charity but I don’t use it as an excuse for my extra earnings.
“I find the consultancy work very interesting and my journalistic work enables me to get a national profile for issues I take up of interest to the people of Blackburn such as car insurance scams.”
Comments(23)
prince of darkness
says...
3:19pm Thu 23 Aug 12
jack daniels
says...
3:25pm Thu 23 Aug 12
The sooner the war monger admits his failure the better
makaveli96
says...
3:39pm Thu 23 Aug 12
What next, a non-english PM?
RUinsane
says...
3:43pm Thu 23 Aug 12
Izanears
says...
4:21pm Thu 23 Aug 12
BTW. Isn't the Socialist mantra, ONE MAN-ONE JOB?
shytalk
says...
4:22pm Thu 23 Aug 12
happycyclist
says...
4:31pm Thu 23 Aug 12
WTF?
darwenTower
says...
4:36pm Thu 23 Aug 12
I don't think so.
happycyclist
says...
5:01pm Thu 23 Aug 12
district01
says...
5:28pm Thu 23 Aug 12
Judging by the amount of people I talk to every day and the growing number within these pages you seem to have been found out Jack, and about time too!
But why should he care?
Having acquired a safe ’Old Labour’ seat here in Blackburn so many years ago without ever having lived here nor any intension of ever wanting to do so is quite astonishing. Now in your retirement making loads of money just like the other ‘New Labour’ pretenders. Even Gordon Brown is at it! But of course non can compare to the master Tony Blair. ‘New Labour’ where his children still reside today!
What a mess politics has become. We need a trustworthy and deserving opposition and not a ‘have another go’ Tony Blair party. But thank goodness for them the disillusioned ’Labour’ followers are still there carrying the banner of old under the illusion that ‘New Labour’ are still ‘Labour‘. But I salute every one of them for their loyalty to an historical belief. But their now batting on a very sticky wicket thanks to Tony Blair!
But what about Jack Straw?
nonjob
says...
6:26pm Thu 23 Aug 12
What a vile hypocrite.
w w w.nonjob.tumblr.com
spike t
says...
6:30pm Thu 23 Aug 12
Michael@ClitheroeSince58
says...
6:50pm Thu 23 Aug 12
Roversboy
says...
7:56pm Thu 23 Aug 12
SWP supporter
says...
5:50am Fri 24 Aug 12
Caspar the ghost
says...
9:32am Fri 24 Aug 12
makaveli96 wrote:Just wait a couple of years and then we'll have a Muslim MP.
How can Jack pretend to support the mighty Rovers when he wasnt born in the town?
What next, a non-english PM?
district01
says...
11:47am Fri 24 Aug 12
Caspar the ghost wrote:Who else would dare to take over when Jack Straw eventually decides to stay at home in the Cotswolds where he lives? Too many problems to sort out!
makaveli96 wrote:Just wait a couple of years and then we'll have a Muslim MP.
How can Jack pretend to support the mighty Rovers when he wasnt born in the town?
What next, a non-english PM?
woolywords
says...
9:38pm Fri 24 Aug 12
What is the point of this article? Are you perchance alluding to something that I am unaware of and, for legal reason, you cannot put to print?
Love him or loathe him, Jack Straw had an opportunity to make a shedload more money than these paltry figures given. An examination of his past really screams the sacrifice that he made to be in politics. He qualified as a Barrister, that's a lawyer, not some idiot serving drinks. He served as an aide to Barbra Castle after his time as an upstart NUS activist.
Any Barrister can earn between thirty and three hundred thousand per annum, dependant in where they practise. So to suggest that these extra governmental payments are worthy of note is, to say the least, a bit disingenious of yourselves.
I suppose that, while many are on the breadline, someone earning a larger crust, makes for good column inches.
Having met the man himself, when I hadn't a clue who he was, he was having a drink in the Borough Arms at the time, he seemed to me a fairly reasonable drinking bloke as you meet in any pub. Though we did observe that unwritten rule, no religeon, politics or women.
All three of us had no idea who the heck was until Gibby, the manager, whom I know from his youth, told me his identity. Geordie said that he knew nothing about Flat racing, while we said we would watch is back, as there were two blokes that were staring at him all the time..
Could have been fun, if we had ruffed up his bodyguards.. As I said, we had no idea who he was.
At least we knew a good Barrister, if we got arrested for it, don't you think?
OnePostThenTheOther
says...
10:47am Sat 25 Aug 12
So the highlights of your contribution to the town are helping a multi-billion pound industry notice that their is an issue with a certain part of our "community" falsifying claims, and observing that it is very rude and ognorant to cover your face when speaking to someone.
Brilliant. Barbara would be so proud of you.
district01
says...
11:54am Sat 25 Aug 12
woolywords wrote:Yes I do agree that Jack Straw is undoubtedly a very clever person. Perhaps far more intelligent than the idiot serving drinks is that your referring to and yes he did qualify as a barrister but only practiced for a short time before being chosen to join the historically safe old labour dominated council in Blackburn. A far easier choice than one where an opposition actually existed. Only party loyalty is the reason for his long stay in Blackburn and not for what he has achieved.
Dear Telegraph Ediitor,
What is the point of this article? Are you perchance alluding to something that I am unaware of and, for legal reason, you cannot put to print?
Love him or loathe him, Jack Straw had an opportunity to make a shedload more money than these paltry figures given. An examination of his past really screams the sacrifice that he made to be in politics. He qualified as a Barrister, that's a lawyer, not some idiot serving drinks. He served as an aide to Barbra Castle after his time as an upstart NUS activist.
Any Barrister can earn between thirty and three hundred thousand per annum, dependant in where they practise. So to suggest that these extra governmental payments are worthy of note is, to say the least, a bit disingenious of yourselves.
I suppose that, while many are on the breadline, someone earning a larger crust, makes for good column inches.
Having met the man himself, when I hadn't a clue who he was, he was having a drink in the Borough Arms at the time, he seemed to me a fairly reasonable drinking bloke as you meet in any pub. Though we did observe that unwritten rule, no religeon, politics or women.
All three of us had no idea who the heck was until Gibby, the manager, whom I know from his youth, told me his identity. Geordie said that he knew nothing about Flat racing, while we said we would watch is back, as there were two blokes that were staring at him all the time..
Could have been fun, if we had ruffed up his bodyguards.. As I said, we had no idea who he was.
At least we knew a good Barrister, if we got arrested for it, don't you think?
Please someone, just what has Jack Straw done for the Labour voters of Blackburn?
rggraham1947
says...
8:23pm Sun 26 Aug 12
district01 wrote:His job is not to do something for the Labour voters of Blackburn but to do something for ALL the people of Blackburn; either way, he has probably failed miserably but not poorly!
woolywords wrote: Dear Telegraph Ediitor, What is the point of this article? Are you perchance alluding to something that I am unaware of and, for legal reason, you cannot put to print? Love him or loathe him, Jack Straw had an opportunity to make a shedload more money than these paltry figures given. An examination of his past really screams the sacrifice that he made to be in politics. He qualified as a Barrister, that's a lawyer, not some idiot serving drinks. He served as an aide to Barbra Castle after his time as an upstart NUS activist. Any Barrister can earn between thirty and three hundred thousand per annum, dependant in where they practise. So to suggest that these extra governmental payments are worthy of note is, to say the least, a bit disingenious of yourselves. I suppose that, while many are on the breadline, someone earning a larger crust, makes for good column inches. Having met the man himself, when I hadn't a clue who he was, he was having a drink in the Borough Arms at the time, he seemed to me a fairly reasonable drinking bloke as you meet in any pub. Though we did observe that unwritten rule, no religeon, politics or women. All three of us had no idea who the heck was until Gibby, the manager, whom I know from his youth, told me his identity. Geordie said that he knew nothing about Flat racing, while we said we would watch is back, as there were two blokes that were staring at him all the time.. Could have been fun, if we had ruffed up his bodyguards.. As I said, we had no idea who he was. At least we knew a good Barrister, if we got arrested for it, don't you think?Yes I do agree that Jack Straw is undoubtedly a very clever person. Perhaps far more intelligent than the idiot serving drinks is that your referring to and yes he did qualify as a barrister but only practiced for a short time before being chosen to join the historically safe old labour dominated council in Blackburn. A far easier choice than one where an opposition actually existed. Only party loyalty is the reason for his long stay in Blackburn and not for what he has achieved. Please someone, just what has Jack Straw done for the Labour voters of Blackburn?
district01
says...
11:26am Mon 27 Aug 12
It was his job to support what the old Labour party believed in and not solely for his own personal survival. He owes such a lot to Blackburn’s old Labour members for which he has failed them miserably. But definitely not self financially poorly!
Davelyn says...
3:10pm Thu 23 Aug 12