As prime minister, Gordon Brown may not have had a great deal of regard for the country’s incomings in relation to its outgoings, but he would now appear to be a lot better at balancing the books on the domestic front.
Last month alone, Brown received a total of almost £24,000 for his speeches around the world, equivalent to an annual £288,000. As prime minister, he was paid £150,000.
The Labour MP, who has spoken in Parliament just three times since he was forced out of 10 Downing Street last year, had his air fare paid by New York University for his visit to its Abu Dhabi campus, at a value of £2,950.
He also received air fares and accommodation in Abu Dhabi for him and his staff, to a value of £6,443, by the World Economic Forum Policy Coordination Group, of which he is the chairman.
The Ideas Foundation in Madrid paid a total of £2,196 for Brown and his staff to fly to Spain. The Carnegie Council, New York, paid for him and his staff to fly to America for another speech, at a total cost of £7,913.
The UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative and Principles for Responsible Investment in Washington paid £8,835 for Brown and his staff to travel to Geneva for a speech. The New School spent £4,273 for Brown to attend an engagement in New York. He says he donated all of that amount to charity.
He states alongside each entry: “I am not receiving any money from this engagement personally. It is being held by the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown for the employment of staff to support my ongoing involvement in public life.”
