Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

£6m in 16 years: Geoffrey Cox’s outside earnings while sitting as MP

£6m in 16 years: Geoffrey Cox’s outside earnings while sitting as MP

Cox says electors decide whether or not to pick a ‘senior and distinguished professional’ who maintains his second job

The average full-time worker in the constituency of Torridge and West Devon earns between £521 and £530 a week – the equivalent of up to £27,560 a year. For the local MP, Geoffrey Cox, who has represented the area since 2005, that is pocket change.

Guardian analysis of the MPs’ register of interests found the former attorney general has earned nearly £6m from his work as a barrister outside parliament since becoming a Conservative MP.

He reported additional earnings for his second job of £930,588 in 2021 so far, including a retainer with corporate law firm Withers worth £400,000 a year, requiring him to work 10 hours a week outside parliament.

But even in a slow year, such as 2011, Cox declared he had received £190,000 – fee income generated from law firms based in London, Dubai and the Cayman Islands, at times priced at more than £1,000 an hour.


Clients represented by Cox have included a Sun journalist acquitted of bribing public officials for stories and clients in various Caribbean offshore jurisdictions, which have repeatedly been accused of a lack transparency.

At one point, in spring 2018, Cox spoke out unsuccessfully in the Commons against forcing the Cayman Islands to implement enhanced disclosure requirements, arguing the extra transparency would force money to “go to where it is darkest”.

More recently he has been advising the government of the British Virgin Islands, another British overseas territory, in a public inquiry into corruption. Effectively his principal client is Andrew Fahie, the BVI premier, who is defending himself and his government from allegations of misgovernance.

The total disclosed to the MPs’ register by Cox down the years is £5.92m but the true figure is likely to be far higher as tighter disclosure rules were brought in a little over a decade ago, and significant sums are only reported from 2010.

Before 2009, Cox only declares that he has made money from “practice at the bar” without disclosing the sums involved.

A statement released on behalf of the Conservative MP said on Wednesday that he was “a leading barrister in England” and made “no secret of his professional activities”.

It added that it was “Sir Geoffrey’s view” that it was “up to the electors of Torridge and West Devon whether or not they vote for someone who is a senior and distinguished professional in his field and who still practises that profession”. At the last general election his majority was 24,992.

Cox has regularly topped the list of MPs earning the most outside parliament, a list that also briefly featured Boris Johnson, when he was paid £275,000 by the Daily Telegraph for a weekly column, and only halted during the period he acted as attorney general.

Appointed by Theresa May in July 2018, he served as the government’s chief law officer and was briefly considered a rising star, after stealing the show introducing the then prime minister at party conference in October that year.

But he was sacked in February 2020 by Boris Johnson – forcing him to rapidly rebuild his legal portfolio, earning £1.48m since then.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×