Lee Anderson, the Conservative vice-chairmanhas revealed that he will be paid £100,000 a year for hosting a show on GB News.
The annual fee, stated in an update to the MPs’ register of interests published on Wednesday, is a significant increase from the £200 weekly payment he received for appearing as a regular on Dan Wootton’s show.
The controversial MP for Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire, became the fifth Tory MP to host a GB News show when his deal with the channel was announced on March 7.
He joins fellow Conservatives Jacob Rees-Mogg, Esther McVey and Philip Davies, who are all currently presenting shows. Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison previously hosted a show but left when she became a minister.
Mr Anderson’s £100,000 fee makes him the highest earner of that group to date, receiving nearly double the £58,650 Ms McVey received in 2022. Her husband and co-host Mr Davies received £46,203 in the same year.
Mr Rees-Mogg has yet to disclose how much he is being paid by the channel.
“I join the People’s Channel”
Announcing his decision to join GB News, Mr Anderson previously said: “GB News is the true voice of the great British silent majority. I join the people’s channel in making sure their voices are heard .”
The MP has proved controversial since his election in 2019, in which he called for the return of the death penalty and claimed that people with universal credit were not living in poverty.
Wednesday’s update of MPs’ register of interests also included a further £527,000 in speaking costs for Boris Johnson from the first two weeks of March.