The gifts and payments accepted by MPs for Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough

MPs must register all gifts and payments under transparency rules
L-R: Peter Bone, Philip Hollobone, Nigel Farage and Tom Pursglove.L-R: Peter Bone, Philip Hollobone, Nigel Farage and Tom Pursglove.
L-R: Peter Bone, Philip Hollobone, Nigel Farage and Tom Pursglove.

Watching England become world champions, thousands of pounds to boost an election campaign and £250 for a survey are just some of the gifts and payments accepted by our MPs.

Conservatives Tom Pursglove (Corby), Philip Hollobone (Kettering) and Peter Bone (Wellingborough) have all made entries in the House of Commons’ Register of Financial Interests over the past 15 months, published registers have revealed.

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Parliamentarians must declare any gifts, donations or paid-for visits under UK transparency laws, with punishments potentially handed to those who don't.

Mr Pursglove was gifted the hottest ticket in cricket last year as he watched England become world champions.

Lord's Cricket Ground gave him two tickets, worth £590, to see England scrape past New Zealand by the barest of margins thanks to Ben Stokes' brilliance.

The Corby MP increased his majority at the General Election in December and after the win he registered a series of donations to boost his campaign.

They included:

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- £4,000 from IM Group Ltd via the Midlands Industrial Council

- £3,000 from M.P.B. Structures Ltd in Corby

- £2,500 from businessman Lawrence Neil Tomlinson, who previously featured on the Sunday Times Rich List

- two donations of £1,000 from businessman Richard G Frankel

- £2,500 from The Carlton Club Political Committee

- £2,500 from supper club The United & Cecil Club. Mr Pursglove is the club's unpaid chairman.

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Mr Pursglove also accepted £2,369 including a fundraiser event ticket in support of local campaigning from M.P.B. Structures Ltd and registered payments totalling more than £700 for completing surveys.

Wellingborough MP Mr Bone, who employs his partner Helen Harrison as a senior parliamentary assistant, was also treated to free sports tickets.

In October he was given two tickets with hospitality for an NFL game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium from NFL UK.

The tickets were worth a total of £1,598.

Earlier that month the Jacksonville Jaguars gave him two tickets, worth £310, for an NFL game at Wembley.

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Mr Bone was also paid £250 for an hour's work to write an article for The Guardian in May.

He also registered payments for surveys totalling more than £1,700, including one worth £250 for a survey which took 80 minutes.

Kettering MP Mr Hollobone's register has only two entries - both relating to his role on local councils.

He registered the £449.50 he gets per month for his role on Kettering Council and an unpaid role on the shadow unitary council.

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Entries in previous years have included paid-for trips to China, Taiwan and Kuwait.

Failure to declare gifts can see MPs hauled in front of the parliamentary standards committee.

Democratic Unionist Party MP Ian Paisley failed to declare holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan government and was suspended from parliament for 30 days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's register includes royalties on a book, gift hampers and accommodation worth £15,000 for a private holiday in the Caribbean from Tory donor David Ross, whose education trust runs schools in Northamptonshire including Lodge Park in Corby.

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Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer's register includes payments for legal advice and a series of donations totalling a six-figure sum for his leadership campaign.

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