Dacorum MPs receive over £250,000 in donations, gifts and payments

New data revealed by Sky News and Tortoise Media has found that Dacorum’s Members of Parliament have received over £250,000 in donations, gifts and payments between them.

The numbers, which were collated by the media organisations, revealed the 100 donations, gifts, payments and other benefits Sir Mike Penning has declared so far are worth the equivalent of approximately £232,900.

Meanwhile, Gagan Mohindra, who is the MP for South West Hertfordshire, has declared 18 donations, gifts, payments and other benefits worth the equivalent of approximately £23,250.

Sir Mike Penning said: “All donations and external paid work are perfectly legitimate and declared in accordance with Parliamentary requirements.”

The data revealed that aside from his role as an MP, Sir Mike Penning has three other ‘second jobs’. He works for CBD firm Tenacious Holdings Limited, Law Abroad and JT Consultancy.

The largest single item Sir Mike declared was a donation worth £35,000 from JT Consultancy while the smallest was £50 in secondary earnings from Yonder, formerly Populus – a business management consultant.

Sir Mike insisted his constituents ‘will always come first’ when asked whether he feels confident he can juggle his additional jobs while serving the people of Hemel Hempstead.

“As MP for Hemel Hempstead my constituents will always come first,” Sir Mike told The Gazette.

"That is a commitment I made when I was first elected, a commitment which I have reiterated at every subsequent election and which I will continue to uphold.

“The time taken up by any external work is no more than the time it took me to do my Ministerial jobs. I continue to devote way more than a five-day-week to my role as MP.”

He added: “I can assure you I remain dedicated to the people of the Hemel Hempstead constituency and focused on the issues that matter most to them.”

Gagan Mohindra’s largest donation was worth £7,500 from Chigwell (London). The smallest was £75 in secondary earnings from market research consultancy firm Savanta ComRes, which also paid £700 to Sir Mike.

Gagan Mohindra MP was approached for comment but did not respond to The Gazette’s request.