Donations to Somerset MPs revealed

By Laura Linham

8th Sep 2024 | Local News

Tessa Munt and Sarah Dyke (file photos)
Tessa Munt and Sarah Dyke (file photos)

The financial donations made to Tessa Munt, MP for Wells and Mendip Hills, and Sarah Dyke, MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, have been revealed.

Tessa Munt received £26,500 in donations over the last year, while Sarah Dyke received £31,000.

These figures come from the mandatory financial disclosures MPs must make to declare any donations, gifts, or benefits that could potentially influence their decisions. MPs are required to submit these details within 28 days of the start of a new Parliament, and newly-elected MPs must declare any relevant financial interests from the year prior to their election.

Tessa Munt's £26,500 in donations comes as part of a wider report showing the financial interests of MPs across the UK. In comparison, Sarah Dyke's donations include £5,000 from Wyke Farms Ltd, a cheesemaker based in Bruton. Individual contributions to Sarah Dyke also came from Barrie Cooper (£4,000), Lord Paul Strasberger (£13,000), Gitte Dawson (£5,000), and Guy Jennings and Guy de Selliers, who each donated £2,000 towards her election campaign.

Sarah Dyke also declared a 15% shareholding in a retail company called Vintage Ghetto and disclosed her unpaid roles as a trustee of Wincanton Recreational Trust, a director of Vintage Ghetto, and a councillor at Somerset Council (unpaid since her election to Parliament).

These disclosures follow reports revealing that Labour MPs received the highest total in donations, at £9.3 million, followed by the Liberal Democrats with £3.2 million, and the Conservatives with £1.7 million. Labour MP Yvette Cooper topped the list with £393,000 in donations, while Reform UK's Nigel Farage was the highest-earning MP, declaring nearly £98,000 per month from his work with GB News, which he clarified covered several months of work.

Farage also reported earning £16,600 from the paid video app Cameo and £4,000 for writing articles for The Telegraph. He addressed the figures in a post on X, saying, "The GB News sum paid to me and declared includes VAT, and was for several months of work. It was paid to my company, which has significant expenses."

Rose Whiffen, senior research officer at Transparency International UK, emphasised the importance of transparency, stating, "Politicians should be careful when accepting gifts and hospitality from private interests. Enjoying the generosity of companies and wealthy individuals risks the appearance of benefitting personally from their public role and damages trust in our political system."

Both MPs continue to serve their constituencies while adhering to the disclosure rules designed to ensure transparency and public trust in political donations.

     

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