STANDARDS in public life have come under intense scrutiny in the last fortnight, leaving public confidence at an all-time low.

Many MPs have second jobs, with some, like Sir Geoffrey Cox coining in vast sums on top of their already high salaries.

Freebies, cash for answering questions and donations from the private sector are also the source of deep concern.

FULL LIST: The North East MPs raking in thousands in donations and second jobs

This week, The Northern Echo lifts the lid on where MPs in our region get their income as part of our The Money Trail investigation tracing the cash behind our MPs.

We tracked the cash trail using the Register of Members' Financial Interests, and while there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, there are some surprising results.

We're publishing the records held for every MP in the North East and North Yorkshire to help you understand how your politician compares.

What exactly is on the register

There are ten main categories on the register, which is maintained and updated by the Parliamentary for Commissioner for Standards, and require an MP to declare, where appropriate.

MPs in England must declare additional paid employment (second jobs), donations, gifts, hospitality and any homes where the value is more than £100,000 and/or provides rental income of more than £10,000 a year.

They must also declare any shares they have which amount to more than 15 percent of the issues share capital of that company or more than 15 percent of a partnership, while they must declare any shares valued more than £70,000.

When it comes to family, MPs are required to declare whether any members are employed and receive more than £700 in a calendar year as this comes from taxpayers' money (parliamentary expenses).

MPs are also required to declare the details of any family members involved in "lobbying," which is when an individual tries to persuade someone in Parliament to support a specific policy or campaign.

What's on Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East MP, Simon Clarke's register

These are the figures for the Conservative Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP, Simon Clarke as of Monday, November 1.

He did not have any secondary employment

Mr Clarke is not recorded as having any second jobs nor did he receive any additional income from work while serving as an MP.

He has had £13,000 in donations to support him as MP 

But there were entries which show revealed there were two donations relating to Mr Clarke total £13,000 over the last financial year.

An amount of £5,000 was paid by private individual, Alexander Temerko on April 26, 2021.

Meanwhile, an amount of £8,000 was paid by private individual, Gary Lydiate on July 16, 2021.

Extra entries on the register

Mr Clarke has just one entries recorded as miscellaneous, which include declarations of involvement in local businesses where they may not receive an income.

He is recorded as being in an unpaid role and a member of the Middlesbrough Town Deal Fund Board since February 1, 2020.

The Northern Echo approached Simon Clarke.

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