Friday, September 30, 2016
Hypocritical UKIP AMs apply double standards on double-jobbing
Today's Western Mail exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of the Welsh Assembly's UKIP group's hounding of Nathan Gill for double-jobbing as an AM and MEP, with the revelation that one of their own is working both as an Assembly Member and a researcher for the party's sole MP.
The paper says that Mark Reckless, who represents South Wales East in the Senedd has recorded in his entry in the Assembly’s register of members’ interests that he also works as a “Part-time director (not a company director) and company secretary, Ukip Parliamentary Resource Unit Limited”. The entry goes on to state that Mr Reckless works for between five and 20 hours per week. It says the company is in receipt of House of Commons “Short” money.
As an AM Mr Reckless’ basic salary is £64,000, on top of which he is paid £13,000 as chair of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.
His entry in the register of members’ interests also shows that he employs his wife Catriona as a senior adviser for 29.6 hours a week. Until earlier this month she sat as a member of Medway council in Kent, where she was deputy leader of the Ukip group.
As the paper says, Neil Hamilton, the Ukip Assembly group leader, has been highly critical of Nathan Gill who doubles as a member of the European Parliament and as an AM. He has at various times called for Gill to resign as an MEP and as an AM over his “double-jobbing”, saying he cannot possibly do both jobs effectively.
Of course the two cases are not exactly the same, and it is a fact that quite a lot of AMs also have other things on the side taking up a similar amount of time. But it would help UKIP's case against Nathan Gill if they at least got their story straight and that if they really are against 'double-jobbing' they should lead by example.
The paper says that Mark Reckless, who represents South Wales East in the Senedd has recorded in his entry in the Assembly’s register of members’ interests that he also works as a “Part-time director (not a company director) and company secretary, Ukip Parliamentary Resource Unit Limited”. The entry goes on to state that Mr Reckless works for between five and 20 hours per week. It says the company is in receipt of House of Commons “Short” money.
As an AM Mr Reckless’ basic salary is £64,000, on top of which he is paid £13,000 as chair of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.
His entry in the register of members’ interests also shows that he employs his wife Catriona as a senior adviser for 29.6 hours a week. Until earlier this month she sat as a member of Medway council in Kent, where she was deputy leader of the Ukip group.
As the paper says, Neil Hamilton, the Ukip Assembly group leader, has been highly critical of Nathan Gill who doubles as a member of the European Parliament and as an AM. He has at various times called for Gill to resign as an MEP and as an AM over his “double-jobbing”, saying he cannot possibly do both jobs effectively.
Of course the two cases are not exactly the same, and it is a fact that quite a lot of AMs also have other things on the side taking up a similar amount of time. But it would help UKIP's case against Nathan Gill if they at least got their story straight and that if they really are against 'double-jobbing' they should lead by example.
