Javid defends 2-day a month role that earned him £150,000

HEALTH Secretary Sajid Javid has defended having a second job for which he was reportedly paid £150,000-a-year for just two days’ work a month.

Mr Javid, who is already paid a basic salary of £81,000 as the MP for Bromsgrove, began the lucrative adviser role with bank JP Morgan earlier this year before he quit and returned to Boris Johnson’s cabinet in June.

As the resignation of former Tory minister Owen Paterson throws the issue of MPs’ incomes into the spotlight, Mr Javid was forced to justify taking on a second job.

Asked why he took on that extra role, he responded: “The work MPs do – it’s good to have experience that is not just all about politics.

“But if a MP does that, it is also absolutely right they are completely open and transparent about it in every way, they meet all those rules around transparency.

“Despite whatever role they have, I think the vast majority of their time should be as a parliamentarian, whether that’s national affairs or constituency affairs.

“In my case, amounted to about one to two days a month, and I’m personally happy to defend doing my job as a member of parliament even with one to two days to focus on other things.

“I think it’s for every MP to explain their role and justify it.

“Ultimately, as long as they are completely transparent about it, it is a judgment for their constituents to make and I’m happy with that.”

The Owen Paterson row has brought up a wider discussion about what MPs should and should not be allowed to do while in office.

MPs’ second jobs in particular have been at the

centre of much controversy after Mr Paterson was found to have breached parliamentary lobbying rules during his lucrative private sector work

The House of Commons voted to overturn his 30-day suspension but he eventually chose to resign from his North Shropshire seat after a huge backlash.

According to analysis, more than a quarter of Tory MPs have second jobs with firms whose “activities range from gambling to private healthcare”, making about £5m in extra earnings in a year.