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Radlett Wire

@RadlettWire

Radlett sits in the sweet spot between the M25 and the green belt, neither one thing nor another, neither Barnet nor Buckinghamshire.

 Radlett
radlettwire.co.uk
Joined May 2010
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Every now and then we fire up the blog. These days it's usually either a) Hertsmere's data centre (more about that soon) or b) Sir our MP Sir @OliverDowden's booming extra-Parliamentary income. Deep analysis, charts and A SPREADSHEET radlettwire.co.uk/2026/10/th…
Chart using blobs and arrows to express the various income sources of UK MP Sir Oliver Dowden, adding up to £435,250 (plus gifts).

ALT Chart using blobs and arrows to express the various income sources of UK MP Sir Oliver Dowden, adding up to £435,250 (plus gifts).

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Hi @ChrisDay96, we've just updated our analysis of Hertsmere MP Sir @OliverDowden's outside income, now amounting to £435,250 on top of his MP's salary since he left office in 2024. Details (with charts and tables!) in our latest post: radlettwire.co.uk/2026/10/th…
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How much should an MP earn from outside work? Is it okay for an MP to work part-time? Should MPs be able to work outside Parliament at all? Occasional reminder that your MP Sir @OliverDowden has three extra jobs and makes £320,000/year on top of his salary bit.ly/4b19u95
Official portrait of UK MP Sir Oliver Dowden, one of the highest earners from outside work in the UK Parliament.

ALT Official portrait of UK MP Sir Oliver Dowden, one of the highest earners from outside work in the UK Parliament.

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We've updated the Sir @OliverDowden Sketchy Behaviour Monitor - we noticed that our MP's extra-Parliamentary income now amounts to £320,000 per year, just short of £420,000 with his MP's salary, putting him very close to the top of the list of earners. bit.ly/4b19u95
Official portrait of Right Hon. Sir Oliver Dowden KCE MBE MP with text overlaid in red that reads: Oliver Dowden MP now earns £320,000 per year on top of his MP’s salary from advising finance firms. Just saying.

ALT Official portrait of Right Hon. Sir Oliver Dowden KCE MBE MP with text overlaid in red that reads: Oliver Dowden MP now earns £320,000 per year on top of his MP’s salary from advising finance firms. Just saying.

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We wouldn't want you to believe that Sir @OliverDowden doesn't actually do anything in Parliament. He spoke in the House of Commons yesterday, for instance, to oppose the government's proposed reduction in the number of jury trials: bit.ly/4rYEzQJ
A speech made in the UK Parliament on 10 March 2026 by Sir Oliver Dowden MP: My hon. Friend is making some very important points. There is a more fundamental point about public perception, which he may come on to in a moment. If we pass this legislation at a time when confidence in this place and in conventional politics is at an exceedingly low ebb, we will be sending a signal to people that this place does not trust 12 good men and true to make decisions, and, in fact, that we want to take that decision away from them. Does he agree that that will further erode confidence in conventional mainstream politics?

ALT A speech made in the UK Parliament on 10 March 2026 by Sir Oliver Dowden MP: My hon. Friend is making some very important points. There is a more fundamental point about public perception, which he may come on to in a moment. If we pass this legislation at a time when confidence in this place and in conventional politics is at an exceedingly low ebb, we will be sending a signal to people that this place does not trust 12 good men and true to make decisions, and, in fact, that we want to take that decision away from them. Does he agree that that will further erode confidence in conventional mainstream politics?

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He's not currently on any committees (they do take up a lot of time) but he's chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the United Arab Emirates and he's a member of several other groups. Details on the They Work For You web site: bit.ly/4see3D1
United Arab Emirates All-Party Parliamentary Group (Chair & Registered Contact) Purpose: The primary aim of the this APPG is to strengthen the ties between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, enhancing mutual understanding and collaboration across a range of strategic sectors, including technology, business, artificial intelligence (AI), and security.

ALT United Arab Emirates All-Party Parliamentary Group (Chair & Registered Contact) Purpose: The primary aim of the this APPG is to strengthen the ties between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, enhancing mutual understanding and collaboration across a range of strategic sectors, including technology, business, artificial intelligence (AI), and security.

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We kind of idly keep an eye on the extra-Parliamentary activities of our MP, Sir @OliverDowden. Legislators ar required to register their outside earnings in the Register of Members' Financial Interests and Sir Oliver does so dilligently, so we now know that he has a new gig!
Screenshot from Sir Oliver Dowden's Register of members financial interests: 1. Employment and earnings Role, work or services Strategy Adviser Start date 16 June 2025 Name of payer Francisco Partners Management LP Description of payer's business Global technology investment firm Address of payer 1 Letterman Drive, Building C, Suite 410, San Francisco, California 94129 ACOBA consulted Yes Date registered 9 July 2025

ALT Screenshot from Sir Oliver Dowden's Register of members financial interests: 1. Employment and earnings Role, work or services Strategy Adviser Start date 16 June 2025 Name of payer Francisco Partners Management LP Description of payer's business Global technology investment firm Address of payer 1 Letterman Drive, Building C, Suite 410, San Francisco, California 94129 ACOBA consulted Yes Date registered 9 July 2025

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We know that many MPs from other parties take no outside income at all and some even give part of their MP's wage to charity. One Reform Party MP has at least promised to take no salary at all and @DarrenSelkus, the party's Hertsmere candidate, has made a similar promise.
Reform Party politician and business owner Darren Selkus in a selfie from his social media accounts.

ALT Reform Party politician and business owner Darren Selkus in a selfie from his social media accounts.

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Salaries for MPs were introduced in 1911, in an effort to attract legislators from beyond the landowners and industrialists who'd filled the roles before that. UK Parliamentarians are paid less than in many other countries but should we expect our MPs to get by on their £93,904?
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Caroline Clapper is one of twenty Tory councillors who dumped the Tories yesterday, in a carefully-timed stunt that's calculated to make @KemiBadenoch's conference even more uncomfortable…
Radlett Wire (@RadlettWire) profile pictureRadlett Wire@RadlettWire7 Oct 2025
So @carolineclapper has made her move. Your county councillor has joined @reformparty_uk. We know that she wants to be an MP so we wonder if she's been promised selection for Hertsmere at the next general election. @DarrenSelkus might have something to say about that, of course…
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