Beth Rigby Interviews: Labour’s top second jobs earner David Lammy says he’ll ‘live with’ any potential ban on outside income
Labour’s top second jobs earner David Lammy has conceded if MPs are banned from having outside earnings “I will have to live with that”.
The shadow foreign secretary has come under scrutiny this year after Sky News’ Westminster Accounts project revealed he tops his party’s list with additional earnings of £243,800 since this parliament started in 2019.
He is in the top 15% of earners of all MPs, and has the highest number of second jobs, with £99,300 coming from his regular radio show on LBC and the rest coming from speaking engagements, books and consultancy work.
Search for your MP using the Westminster Accounts tool
The Tottenham MP has come under fire for all his extra earnings but told Sky News’ Beth Rigby Interviews programme he agreed with Sir Keir Starmer saying second jobs need to be reviewed.
“I think the Labour Party is right to say that we need to fix this problem,” he said.
“It will be one of those issues that parliament is going to have to determine.”
Mr Lammy added that he would have to accept it if Labour did block second jobs after Sir Keir in January backed a ban, with some exceptions.
But, Mr Lammy defended his extra work as he said he needed to pay for his office staff.
“If parliament determines that – no second jobs at all – we can’t have people who are doctors – can’t have people who are lawyers – one job only, being an MP – then I will have to live with that like everybody else,” he said.
“The truth is, when you’re in opposition and you’re wanting to do a job like being shadow foreign secretary and your party’s just lost an election, there is no money in the coffers.
“You do try and raise money to help employ people so that you can properly do your job.”
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Starmer defends Lammy’s £200,000 jobs
Mr Lammy added not all of his earnings go towards paying for staff and he does take some for himself but said that is allowed and is common practice among MPs.
“Some of that money goes towards paying for the things so I can do my job as best as I can,” he said.
“Those are the sorts of decisions that you make. As I’ve said, MPs have done speeches and things, corporate speeches, after-dinner speeches for years and years and years and years.
“There are lots of Conservative colleagues doing it. There are other Labour MPs that have done it.
“If people determine that they don’t want to see that, then that will come to an end and it won’t happen.”
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Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab on Wednesday took aim at Mr Lammy for his second earnings after the issue was raised at Prime Minister’s Questions.
“I notice the benches on this side [Labour] are curiously quiet. Is that because there’s 10 shadow cabinet members on their benches who are taking earnings?” Mr Raab said.
“In particular the shadow foreign secretary looks like he certainly doesn’t want to be under the limelight.”
David Lammy spoke to Beth Rigby about second jobs and Jeremy Corbyn
‘Decision to block friend Corbyn was right’
Mr Lammy also spoke to Beth Rigby about former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn being blocked from standing for the party at the next election in the seat he has held for 40 years.
The shadow foreign secretary previously apologised for nominating Mr Corbyn to be Labour leader in 2015 after the MP was suspended from the party for denying the party had an antisemitism problem.
Read more:
Middlemen, brokers and clients – who really pays MPs for their other jobs?
MPs’ second jobs – what are the rules?
Mr Lammy said in 2021 he “never believed” Mr Corbyn would become leader and nominating him was “a mistake”.
Before that, he regularly praised Mr Corbyn, who he considered a friend and had asked to launch his election campaign in Tottenham in 2015.
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‘But Corbyn is your friend, isn’t he?’
Jeremy Corbyn has been blocked from standing as a Labour MP
But he put his personal friendship with the former Labour leader aside and admitted it was the right decision to block Mr Corbyn from running for Labour at the next election.
“It’s not about friendship,” Mr Lammy said.
“These are bigger issues. Representing Tottenham, I represent – partly – the Stamford Hill area of London, which has a very strong, long standing Jewish community. So the issue goes to that one.
“No one ever said that politics sometimes hasn’t got to be brutal.
“It was an important decision, I think, for both Keir Starmer to take when he took over the Labour Party to be absolutely clear that we would get rid of that antisemitism, and for the NEC to take.”
World
Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
The fire gutted the main stage
Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
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Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
Israel has shown little respect for international borders since becoming the unrivalled military hegemon of the Middle East. Today that meant an Israeli airstrike on a government building in Damascus.
Israel says its attack on a Syrian defence ministry facility was intended as a warning to the new government: stay out of the part of southern Syria we have occupied or else.
Israel has moved into parts of the south of the country, built military bases and declared a line of control.
Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike that hit the Syrian Defence Ministry in Damascus. Pic: AP
On Monday, Syrian tanks heading south to try and restore order following an outbreak of factional fighting were attacked by Israeli warplanes.
“The presence of such vehicles in southern Syria could pose a threat to Israel,” stated the Israel Defence Forces.
In reality, Syria’s ageing tanks pose minimal threat to Israel’s state-of-the art military.
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Syrian presenter interrupted by Israeli airstrike
The Syrian armour was attacked as it entered the area around Sweida in the Druze heartland of southern Syria following factional fighting there.
The flare-up reportedly began with clashes between Bedouin and Druze groups that ended in scores killed.
The background to the escalation is complicated.
At least three Druze militia groups are divided in their loyalties to different religious leaders and differ over how they should respond to calls to assimilate into the new post-revolutionary Syria.
Druze from Syria and Israel protest on the Israeli-Syrian border.
Pic: AP
Read more:
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UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria
Israel is becoming more and more involved in Syria’s internecine war and says it will remain there indefinitely “to protect our communities and thwart any threat”.
Its critics say Israel is operating a policy of divide and rule in Syria, weakening the fledgling government and creating a buffer zone to protect the border with the Golan Heights – originally Syrian territory that it has occupied and annexed for almost half a century.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has used airstrikes to destroy of much of Syria’s military capability weakening its ability to impose control on outlying regions. This makes it more not less likely Israel will have a volatile unstable state on its northern border.
Syrian security forces walk along a street in the southern Druze city of Sweida. Pic: Reuters
America and European powers have chosen to normalise relations with the new government in Damascus and lift sanctions.
In contrast Israel has occupied its territory, bombed its military and today hit one of its government buildings in the capital with an airstrike.
Since its crushing military campaigns against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, Israel has emerged as the unchallenged military power of the region.
There is however a limit to what blunt force can achieve alone. It requires diplomacy to achieve lasting gains and Israel’s repeated assaults on multiple neighbours combined with its relentless campaign in Gaza are winning it few friends in the region.
Israeli airstrikes have targeted the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus amid renewed clashes in the country.
The gate of the Ministry of Defence in the Syrian capital was targeted by two warning missiles from an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft.
State-owned Elekhbariya TV said the Israeli strike had wounded two civilians, the Reuters news agency reported.
Smoke rises from Syria’s defence ministry building in Damascus. Pic: Reuters
It came as Israeli airstrikes targeted security and army vehicles in the southern city of Sweida, where the Druze faith is one of the major religious groups – marking the third consecutive day Israel has struck Syrian forces.
The Israeli military confirmed it had “struck the entrance gate” in Damascus – and that it would be monitoring “actions being taken against Druze civilians in southern Syria”.
The Israeli airstrike targeted Syria’s military headquarters. Pic: AP
Why Israel is getting involved in Syria’s internal fighting
Israel has shown little respect for international borders since becoming the unrivalled military hegemon of the Middle East. Today that meant an Israeli airstrike on a government building in Damascus.
Israel says its attack on a Syrian defence ministry facility was intended as a warning to the new government: stay out of the part of southern Syria we have occupied or else.
Israel has moved into parts of the south of the country, built military bases and declared a line of control.
On Monday, Syrian tanks heading south to try and restore order following an outbreak of factional fighting were attacked by Israeli warplanes.
“The presence of such vehicles in southern Syria could pose a threat to Israel,” stated the Israel Defence Forces.
In reality, Syria’s ageing tanks pose minimal threat to Israel’s state-of-the art military.
Local media said Sweida and nearby villages were coming under heavy artillery and mortar fire on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
The clashes marked the collapse of a ceasefire between Syrian government forces and Druze armed groups, with Israel also warning it would increase its involvement.
Syria said its forces had responded to being fired upon. Pic: Reuters
Israel said it was acting to protect the Druze groups through its attacks on convoys of Syrian forces.
Syria blamed militias in Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement which had only been reached on Tuesday.
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A statement from its defence ministry said: “Military forces continue to respond to the source of fire inside the city of Sweida, while adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes.”
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said the military will continue to strike Syrian forces until they withdraw and should “leave Druze alone”, according to local reports.
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