Westminster Accounts reveal how much MPs received in donations, gifts and secondary earnings during parliament

Fourteen MPs have been given more than £250,000 each towards their campaigns and causes, according to an investigation into the flow of money into Westminster.

A months-long investigation by Sky News and the Tortoise news website resulted in the launch of a new database of political donations and MPs’ outside earnings.

It showed that senior politicians – from Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats – were all given between £258,000 and £752,800 from various companies and individuals during this UK parliament, which started in December 2019.

All the information on donations is available through parliament’s register of interests, but Sky News and Tortoise Media have collated all the figures for the first time in one database, with total sums and details of which MPs are receiving how much money and from whom.

The database, called the Westminster Accounts, compiles records from the MPs’ Register of Interests, the Electoral Commission and other official registers and aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the financing of British politics since the last election.

As well as political donations, the Westminster Accounts identified the MPs earning the most from second jobs, with former prime minister Theresa May coming top of the list.

May has received £2.8m in payments and gifts since December 2019, mostly in the form of speaking fees paid to her private office.

Former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox was the second-highest earning, receiving £2.1m, mostly from his legal work, while Boris Johnson has received £1.2m since December 2019.

Johnson’s payments include more than £1m in speaking fees earned since he left Downing Street in September.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is top of the leaderboard for campaign donations, with £752,809 given to him by 67 companies and individuals.

Rishi Sunak comes in behind Sir Keir with £546,043 in donations for his leadership campaign this summer, when he lost to Liz Truss before becoming prime minister when she stepped down.

Donations, gifts and secondary earnings made to Scottish MPs

Here is a breakdown of what Scottish MPs have declared in donations, gifts and earnings from other employment since the start of the current UK Parliament in 2019.

Hannah Bardell	SNP	Livingston	Declared no financial interests
Mhairi Black	SNP	Paisley and Renfrewshire South	Declared no financial interests
Ian Blackford	SNP	Ross, Skye and Lochaber	Declared 12 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £38,120 from Golden Charter Trust, an investment firm
Kirsty Blackman	SNP	Aberdeen North	Declared two financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £5,650 from Clare Sainsbury.
Steven Bonnar	SNP	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill	Declared two financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £2,100 from North Lanarkshire Council.
Andrew Bowie	Conservative	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine	Declared two financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £1,500 from UK Music and the German political party foundation Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
Deidre Brock	SNP	Edinburgh North and Leith	Declared no financial interests
Alan Brown	SNP	Kilmarnock and Loudoun	Declared 19 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £5,300 from the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, as well as polling firms YouGov and Ipsos Mori
Amy Callaghan	SNP	East Dunbartonshire	Declared seven financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £600 from market research consultancy Savanta ComRes and polling firm YouGov
Lisa Cameron	SNP	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lasmahagow	Declared ten financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £19,410 from Christian Action Research and Education, the Swiss Foreign Ministry, the honorary consulate for the Republic of San Marino, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar, the British Phonographic Industry, the Middle East Forum and YouGov.
Alistair Carmichael	Lib Dem	Orkney and Shetland	Declared six financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £21,670 from Sudhir Choudhrie, House Magazine, Robert Laurence, Joe Zammit-Lucia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar
Wendy Chamberlain	Lib Dem	North East Fife	Declared 13 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £27,560 from Peak Scientific Holdings, Sir Bob Reid, the National Liberal Club, St Andrews Links, the R&A Championships, YouGov, Ipsos Mori, Results UK and the Centre for Turkey Studies and Development
Douglas Chapman	SNP	Dunfermline and West Fife	Declared one financial interest – a gift worth £5,800 from the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Joanna Cherry	SNP	Edinburgh South West	Declared 18 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £23,120. The largest single donation is worth £3,000 from Flagship Media Group. She also received earnings for her column in The National newspaper and from Franco-British Colloque (the Franco-British Council)
Ronnie Cowan	SNP	Inverclyde	Declared no financial interests
Angela Crawley	SNP	Lanark and Hamilton East	Declared no financial interests
Martyn Day	SNP	Linlithgow and East Falkirk	Declared three financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £8,520 from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ipsos Mori
Martin Docherty-Hughes	SNP	West Dunbartonshire	Declared no financial interests
Dave Doogan	SNP	Angus	Declared 44 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £5,690 from Perth and Kinross Council, Savanta ComRes, Ipsos Mori and YouGov
Allan Dorans	SNP	Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock	Declared no financial interests
David Duguid	Conservative	Banff and Buchan	Declared three financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £9,000. He receive a donation worth £5,000 from Stalbury Trustees, a donation from Lord Philip Harris and a gift worth £1,000 from the Milli Majlis (the National Assembly in Azerbaijan)
Marion Fellows	SNP	Motherwell and Wishaw	Declared no financial interests
Margaret Ferrier	Independent	Rutherglen and Hamilton West	Declared no financial interests
Stephen Flynn	SNP	Aberdeen South	Declared four financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £3,220 from Aberdeen City Council and the Scottish Parliament
Patricia Gibson	SNP	North Ayrshire and Arran	Declared 26 financial interests so far worth the equivalent of approximately £1,960 from Savanta ComRes and Yonder Consulting
Patrick Grady	SNP	Glasgow North	Declared 52 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £5,360 from Ipsos Mori, Yonder Consulting, YouGov and Savanta ComRes
Peter Grant	SNP	Glenrothes	Declared 19 financial interests so far are worth the equivalent of approximately £1,760 from Savanta ComRes and YouGov
Neale Hanvey	Alba	Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath	Declared three financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £500 from YouGov and Ipsos Mori
Drew Hendry	SNP	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey	Declared 15 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £6,520 from Witherby Publishing Group, Beaver Creek Lodge, Savanta ComRes, Ipsos Mori and YouGov
Stewart Hosie	SNP	Dundee East	Declared no financial interests
Alister Jack	Conservative	Dumfries and Galloway	Declared ten financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £36,950 from John Cooper, Sir Chippendale Keswick, Lady Sarah Keswick, Sir Henry Keswick, William F Forbes, Simon Hodgson and James Stewart
Christine Jardine	Lib Dem	Edinburgh West	Declared five financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £6,400 from the Swiss Foreign Ministry and Scottish Rugby Union
John Lamont	Conservative	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk	Declared seven financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £30,820 from Ian McVeigh, the Conservative Middle East Council, Rob Harding, the Football Association Premier League, Alice Pringle and alcoholic beverage firm Diageo
Chris Law	SNP	Dundee West	The only item Law has declared is a gift worth £600 from the Armenian National Parliament
David Linden	SNP	Glasgow East	Declared seven financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £700 from YouGov
Kenny MacAskill	Alba	East Lothian	Declared 38 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £8,620 from JPI Media and Scots Magazine
Angus MacNeil	SNP	Na h-Eileanan an Iar	Declared nine financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £17,990 from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the British Phonographic Industry, YouGov, CMD Polling and The General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises
Stewart McDonald	SNP	Glasgow South	Declared four financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £5,360 from Yalta European Strategy, Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, the Europeum Institute for European Policy and the non-profit organisation Article 36
Stuart McDonald	SNP	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East	Declared no financial interests
Anne McLaughlin	SNP	Glasgow North East	Declared four financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £300 from YouGov
John McNally	SNP	Falkirk	Declared no financial interests
Carol Monaghan	SNP	Glasgow North West	Declared two financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £7,800 from Satellite Applications Catapult, a space technology firm, and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
David Mundell	Conservative	Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale	Declared 16 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £59,940 from Glenrath Farms, James Stewart, IX Wireless, David Stevenson, Lord Philip Harris, William J Hewitson, Mary Coltman, Kirklee Property Company, Results UK, Diageo, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Halo Trust and Stewart Grieve
Ian Murray	Labour	Edinburgh South	Declared 36 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £88,250 from Lord Matthew Oakeshott, the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, Community Union, Baroness Meta Ramsay, Fiona Mactaggart, Jonathan Wild, Gordon Dalyell, Luath Press, Lord William Haughie, Mark Bathgate, the GMB union, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the R&A Championships, YouGov and, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and DXC UK
Gavin Newlands	SNP	Paisley and Renfrewshire North	Declared 14 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £3,360 from the R&A Championships, Tennis Scotland, YouGov and Ipsos Mori
John Nicolson	SNP	Ochil and South Perthshire	Declared 16 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £36,350 from News UK, the R&A Championships, Global Media and Entertainment, and Sky UK
Brendon O’Hara	SNP	Argyll and Bute	Declared three financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £8,290 from ABColombia, Bellwether International and Mankind is my Business
Kirsten Oswald	SNP	East Renfrewshire	Declared two financial interests – secondary earnings worth the equivalent of approximately £1,870 from the City of Glasgow College
Anum Qaisar	SNP	Airdrie and Shotts	Declared two financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £10,780 from George Watson’s College the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus
Douglas Ross	Conservative	Moray	Declared 77 financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £100,200 from Alasdair Locke, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alasdair N Laing, Stalbury Trustees, the Scottish Unionist Association Trust, John S Martin, the Carlton Club, Salmon Scotland, Diageo, the Scottish Parliament, UEFA, the Scottish Football Association and Aberdeen FC
Tommy Sheppard	SNP	Edinburgh East	Declared three financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £5,990 from the United Nations Population Fund, the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and the Centre for Turkey Studies and Development
Alyn Smith	SNP	Stirling	The only item Smith has declared is a gift worth £1,850 from Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars
Chris Stephens	SNP	Glasgow South West	Declared three financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £92,280 from the Public and Commercial Services Union
Jamie Stone	Lib Dem	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross	Declared three financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £9,620 from Satellite Applications Catapult, More United and the British Phonographic Association
Alison Thewliss	SNP	Glasgow Central	Declared no financial interests
Owen Thompson	SNP	Midlothian	The only item Thompson has declared is £1,020 in secondary earnings from the Scottish Parliament.
Richard Thomson	SNP	Gordon	Declared four financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £6,530 from Aberdeenshire Council
Philippa Whitford	SNP	Central Ayrshire	Declared five financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £9,890 from NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Unite – Association of Parliamentarians to End Infectious Diseases and Results UK
Pete Wishart	SNP	Perth and North Perthshire	Declared four financial interests worth the equivalent of approximately £7,370 from Ridge Records, Chrysalis Records and MP4

Transparency campaigners have hailed the investigation as a “wake-up call” for British politics.

Duncan Hames, director of policy at Transparency International UK, said the database would “empower” members of the public to ask questions about the donations their MPs were receiving.

He said: “We’re used to trawling through all sorts of registers. This puts it very easily at the fingertips of everyone and enables us to move on from formal declarations and transparency returns to some real accountability.”

The investigation has already raised questions about the true source of political donations from companies.

Hames warned that donations by companies made it harder to see who was really funding UK politicians.

He said: “For the most part, this isn’t the big multinational companies that you’ve heard of. More often than not, these companies are simply mechanisms by which very wealthy people organise their wealth and their assets.

“It’s not like you’re looking on the register to see if McDonald’s has been funding a political party – it’s a company that’s in all likelihood owned by a couple of people and it’s really them that are giving money to the politicians.”

He added: “The public has a right to know, and if who is funding their politicians is shrouded behind layers of company transactions then they don’t really know.”

Susan Hawley, executive director at Spotlight on Corruption, echoed Hames’s comments, saying: “This should be a real wake-up call to the UK political establishment to get serious about ensuring parties conduct proper checks on donations and are fully transparent about where the money is coming from.

“More fundamentally, we have to have a serious public debate about the undue influence that donating to political parties allows, and how that distorts democratic decision-making.”

Both Sunak and Starmer said they welcomed the publication of the Westminster Accounts database.

Sunak said: “I think transparency is really important for the healthy functioning of democracy, it’s absolutely right that there’s disclosures around donations and outside interests.”

On Sunday, the Labour leader told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge: “I think we’ve got some of the strongest rules in terms of what we have to declare, but the more transparency the better, so that everybody can see exactly what has been declared and ask whatever questions they want to about it.”

All MPs are required by law to report certain financial interests to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, whose office publishes a register of all MPs’ interests every fortnight.

MPs are required to report both their own direct financial interests and any donations or other payments that are received by their local constituency party to support their work or election.

Because not all interests are simple sums of money, members must assign equivalent values to things like gifts, which makes it possible to calculate an overall value for each MP.