Ben Bradley has declared 60 hours of extra paid work per week, on top of his role as an MP
As the Tory sleaze scandal continues to engulf Westminster, it has been revealed that one MP does 60 hours of additional work in not one, but two additional jobs.
As well as being a Tory MP for Mansfield, Ben Bradley is the leader of the Nottinghamshire County Council and a member of the Executive Board of East Midlands Councils.
Both jobs apparently total 30 hours of additional work per week, raising questions as to how Bradley finds time to be an MP.
There is no set amount of hours an MP has to work, but past studies have estimated MPs are working an average of 69 hours a week.
Controversy over MP’s second jobs first arose last week in the wake of the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal.
It’s since been revealed by analysis of the Register of Public Interests that at least a quarter of Tory MPs have second jobs, earning over £4m year, prompting public debate over whether an MP has time for two jobs.
Green MP for Brighton Pavillion Caroline Lucas rejected the idea MPs have time for additional work while meeting the needs of their constituents, telling the BBC she worked up to 80 hours a week and it was “quite preposterous” to have time for a second well-paid role.
Bradley receives £35,211 a year for his work as council leader and £600 a year from his role on the East Midlands Councils Executive Board. The £600-per-year role means the Tory MP is being paid just 38p per hour by the East Midlands.
If Bradley works weekends, his extra work on top of his MP duties leaves a mere 5.5 hours for sleep and a private life each day.
With little time to spare for activities, it’s a wonder the MP for Mansfield managed to fit in two football games earlier this year.
In June, Bradley controversially accepted a £1,961 ticket to Wembley for England vs Germany in the UEFA Euros from gambling firm Power Leisure Bookmakers.
At the time, Bradley defended the decision telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service there was “nothing to see here” and that “politics and work aside, if Putin himself had offered me tickets to watch England versus Germany in a major tournament I’d probably still have gone”.
Bradley has come under fire in recent years for similarly controversial comments.
During the free school meals debate in October 2020, Bradley was accused of a “stigmatisation of working class families” after suggesting food vouchers did not feed hungry children, rather in his constituency went to “crack dens and brothels”.
He was forced to apologise.
In September 2020, Bradley refused to take part in unconscious bias training to tackle sexism, racism and citing a right to “make my own bloody mind up, thank you very much”.
He’d also scoffed at separate sexual harassment training, describing it as “a total waste of all of our time”.
The Tory MP’s busy work in preserving men’s rights might eat into the measly 5.5 hours per day he has left after completing his primary MP role, his secondary councillor role, and his tertiary advisory role.
Ben Bradley told PoliticsJOE the roles are complimentary, and he works a 60-hour week in total.
Bradley said: “I register 60 hours of work per week because I work a 60 hour week. My roles are complementary, in public service, and are all in support of my constituency and County. I have no private sector roles.
“The ability to join up local and national policy and decision making through roles in both local and national government is hugely beneficial to our area.”
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