Former British PM Johnson rakes in millions over past year

LONDON: British lawmakers earned some £10 million ($6.1 mn) on top of their parliamentary salaries over the past year with former prime minister Boris Johnson accounting for nearly half the total amount, a report said.

Johnson -- who reportedly complained bitterly while in office about his £164,000 prime ministerial salary -- earned £4.8 million, according to an analysis by The Guardian daily published late on Sunday. The former prime minister resigned as an MP in June following his ouster as British leader in July 2022.

An additional £400,000 was earned by members of the opposition Labour Party and two other smaller parties, the newspaper´s analysis found. The outside earnings come from a variety of sources including consultancies, speeches and television work including for the right-wing GB News. Former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg nets around £29,000 a month to host a programme for the outlet. Another Conservative former finance and health minister, Sajid Javid, earns around £25,000 a month as an adviser to an investment firm.

The figures -- compiled from parliament´s Register of MPs´ interests -- follow an outcry over a lobbying scandal in 2021 and another row over a Conservative MP paid around £5.5 mn as a lawyer since entering parliament.