The Staggers

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How much will we be paying Nadine Dorries while she's in the jungle?

Tory MP will claim her monthly salary of £5,478 while she competes on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

By George Eaton Published 06 November 2012 12:03

Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has already arrived in Australia in preparation for her appearance on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

While David Cameron is unlikely to mind losing Nadine Dorries to the Australian jungle for up to a month as the Conservative MP competes in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, the public (not least her Bedfordshire constituents) might take a different view. Dorries, who has already arrived in Queensland for the show, has refused to forego her parliamentary salary for the period, meaning that she'll receive as much as £5,478 during her time on the programme (as well as expenses of around £3,218), in addition to a fee of up to £40,000. She said:

I've worked seven years as an MP and I've never taken a day off work in Parliamentary time. I've worked all through recess and I only had four days off this summer.

Parliament is in half-term while I'm there. I've not done anything to prepare for the jungle. I worked right up until I left the UK for Australia.

It's true that Parliament is in recess for a week from 13 November, but her appearance could last for up to a month. At a time when Dorries has voted for cuts to benefits for the poorest people in the country, there's something faintly outrageous about her claiming her public salary whilst gallivanting around the Australian bush.

Update: Labour List notes that as a member of "the Panel of Chairs”, whose role is to "chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees", Dorries receives an additional £8,166 a year, which brings her expected remuneration whilst in the jungle to £6,158.

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Tags: Nadine Dorries Conservatives

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21 comments

Wed, 2012-11-07 21:43 — McMac

I think we're all better of without this moron being anywhere near the levers of power. Money well spent in my opinion.

Wed, 2012-11-07 12:31 — alexandertabershaw

Long may she stay in the jungle and never return.

Tue, 2012-11-06 21:17 — Hugh C Markey (not verified)

It must be pretty obvious that UK politics, forget US politics, is a rich man's game. The majority of Conservative MPs don't need the money and some Labour MPs do not know where their next penny(?) is coming from.
Where is all this transparency everyone is talking about. Blind Trust - oh yes!
Gordon Brown is busy devising a plan to save the world. He never had a moment's rest while he was Chancellor and the UK never had it so good. And then those 'bankers' got too greedy.
Languid George Osborne is just lolling about and we've never had it so bad. Austerity without 'ration books'? How are we to believe we are all in this together when money talks?
More luxury hotels and malls have never come on stream at this pace and non-doms are elbowing their way into the UK faster than ever.

Reality Check

Tue, 2012-11-06 21:03 — Hugh C Markey (not verified)

'I say chaps - says Georgeous George - rubbing his hands together. Calls me a part-time posh boy and here she is prancing about as a celebrity and milking the taxpayer at the same time'.

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!"

Cheltenham Old Girl

Tue, 2012-11-06 20:06 — alex mc auslan (not verified)

Nadine Dorries should be payed exactly the same as Gordon Brown. This guy has spent almost all of the last 2 years huffing in his tent in Fife.Picked up three hundred grand and made only four appearances at the Hof C.

Tue, 2012-11-06 19:00 — Garr (not verified)

Guess it's only faintly outrageous if she's not taking the time out of her accrued holiday entitlement - but this article doesn't say either way.

Otherwise, we'd surely have to be faintly outraged by all MPs taking holiday as they will all be claiming their salary during those periods.

Tue, 2012-11-06 17:56 — Posh Tosh (not verified)

She is already of Saint Dave's electoral candidate list - seems she spoke out against the Dark Master and so had her constituency removed, so maybe she will give 666 payback big-time.

I should like to see all the MP's whom run on boards for every multi-national, as hey maybe they put actual hours in more at working for their shareholders.

I wonder how many MP's Lib Lab Con actual deserve to be paid?

Tue, 2012-11-06 17:11 — Knits-with-Wolves (not verified)

Going to Australia for a month to press home her views on abortion to British voters. I see. So, how does that work, exactly? Seeing that her "views" aren't going to be broadcast, going by today's reports.

Sounds like a jolly at the taxpayers' expense, however much some might try to dress it up. Does she not think she might be deselected? Or has the thought not crossed her mind ..?

Maybe she's planning on emigrating and is paving the way. Nah. That's just cynical ..

Tue, 2012-11-06 16:44 — Injury_Claims_ (not verified)

This is equivalent to Benefit Fraud. Plain and simple.

If you are paid £40,000 for going off to do a job whilst on Benefits you are criminalised.

If you are claiming Salary and Expenses from the same Public Purse whilst making £40.000 doing a job or making an appearance somewhere else at that time. You are a criminal just the same.

It's about time all MP's, Dr's etc realise exactly what they are.

Tue, 2012-11-06 16:39 — BigC (not verified)

Funny, I don't remember the same calculations being done about George Galloway when he was on Big Brother...Hypocrisy anyone?

Tue, 2012-11-06 15:11 — Indu Pendent

Breaking news ... Tory MP takes a holiday.

George would you know how much Ed Balls earned last year in consultancies, union sponsorships, extra income etc etc ? Down a bit was it? Poor guy he must be having to tighen his belt. Do you know what tax rate he pays?

I see that fetching picture of Balls in the swaggering Nazi uniform has broken into the mainstream news. He wore it as a forfeit for a rental rise he gave away for his chums common room ... then moved on leaving others to live with it ... old habits die hard.

Tue, 2012-11-06 14:55 — John Irvine (not verified)

She won't be able to claim expenses?

You just watch her try!

MP by heart, when there's a chance to steal off the tax payer they will.

AS for her getting paid while away on this, you must be joking, its about time these jumped up suits and skirts started doing what we bloody well pay them for and stop dipping their hand in the till. Of course NONE of that fee will be going to charity, I hope she chokes on monkey testicles!

Tue, 2012-11-06 14:52 — Barrie J (not verified)

If she was joined by the other 650 odd thieves, sexual deviants and self serving parasites it would be no great loss.
A plague of medieval proportions on every last one of the scum.

Tue, 2012-11-06 14:52 — Obi Wan Kenobi (not verified)

You don't pay her a penny for her time in the jungle.

I'm on the governments Work Programme and If I said to my Private Provider or Jobcentre Plus that I was't able to look for work for a week or longer due to the fact I'm going on holiday, MY MONEY WOULD BE STOPPED AND I WOULD BE SANCTIONED, so how can she be away from her workplace and still get paid?

One set of rules for MP's and another set of rules for the rest of us.

Tue, 2012-11-06 14:42 — Rural Lass (not verified)

Err........ aren't MPs supposed to be doing a 'job'. Wasn't there a recent news item about their role 'justifying' a 'salary' of £90k. Doesn't that mean it's a 'job'....... So, is she taking this as unpaid leave? Is she, hell!! Anyone else in the real world wouldn't be able to walk away from a salaried job to pee about in the jungle, not doing what they are paid to do. All in it together, I think not!! About time the role of MP was treated like a full time job, where measures of performance are set & adhered to, including a certain number of surgeries, a certain amount of attendance in HofC etc. If this Dorries story is anything to go by, these people still do not get it, they are still treating the tax payer as a subidiser of their self-engrandising power games gravy train. Yah boo sucks!!! Hope her constituency lynches her, silly moo........

Tue, 2012-11-06 14:39 — RuralLass (not verified)

Err........ aren't MPs supposed to be doing a 'job'. Wasn't there a recent news item about their role 'justifying' a 'salary' of £90k. Doesn't that mean it's a 'job'....... Is she taking this as unpaid leave? Anyone else in the real world wouldn't be able to walk away from a salaried job to pee about in the jungle, not doing what they are paid to do. All in it together, I think not!! About time the role of MP was treated like a full time job, where measures of performance are set & adhered to, including a certain number of surgeries, a certain amount of attendance in HofC etc. If this Dorries story is anything to go by, these people still do not get it, they are still treating the tax payer as a subidiser of their self-engrandising power games gravy train. Yah boo sucks!!!

Tue, 2012-11-06 14:14 — Stuart Eels (not verified)

Yes I agree with Michael Dixon, what I don't get is that The NewStateman is so quick off the mark with non stories like this but very very slow on things like Savile or the North Wales abuse case thats all over the airwaves, shape up.

Tue, 2012-11-06 13:30 — Livers (not verified)

Glad she's going there. I'll be ringing up constantly to vote for her ... to eat koala shit and lizard eyeballs.

She's got to think about the next steps in her career, coz she won't be an MP after 2015 .. maybe this is her Katie Price moment?

Tue, 2012-11-06 12:43 — nourredine

It will be a story when she will be in the jungle and trying to put her views and of the party she represent in front of televiewers.
That when it is good to comment and the people can see again what the tories are.

Tue, 2012-11-06 12:41 — Dan H (not verified)

MPs come in for a lot of unwarranted flak, but what Nadine Dorries is doing is indefinisble. She should forgo her Parliamentary salary while she has chosen to make herself unable to fulfil her Parliamentary duties.
(Incidentally, the point the article makes about her expenses is wrong. She won't be able claim any expenses apart from ongoing costs, like rent on her office that her staff will still be presunably using to help her constituents, because she is not fulfiilling her Parliamentary duties).

Tue, 2012-11-06 12:33 — Michael Dixon (not verified)

Not much of a story here. Scraping the barrel comes to mind and with ex-Labour MP's jailed and the MacShane fiasco last week, a period of silence would be best advised if any political is attempted-which it is here-weakly

That said if she did not come back that would be something to really celebrate.