Fact check: MPs elected for first time do not yet have interests registered

New MPs have 28 days from the start of a new Parliament to register their interests.

Friday 02 August 2024 15:05 BST

Nigel Farage was elected to Parliament for the first time in 2024 (Dan Kitwood/PA) (PA Wire)

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A widely shared online post claimed that it was “curious” that Reform UK MP Nigel Farage has no registered interests related to his parliamentary work.

“None. Not even any income from his GB News shows,” the post, which linked to the party leader’s register of financial interests page on the official parliament.uk website, said.

Evaluation

Mr Farage is one of the new intake of MPs from the July 4 General Election. None of them have been included on the official register of interest since the election was held.

The facts

The poster is correct to say that – as of the time of writing – Mr Farage’s page on the Parliament website reads: “There are no current Registered Interests for Nigel Farage.”

However, this is not unique to Mr Farage.

New MPs have 28 days from the start of a new Parliament to register their interests. The register tends to be updated once every two weeks when the Commons is sitting.

At the time the post was made on August 1, it had been 16 days since the State Opening of Parliament on July 17, and 29 days since the election on July 4.

Other MPs who entered the Westminster Parliament for the first time in July also have no interests registered at the time of writing.

The main purpose of the register is to provide information about any financial interest which an MP has, or any benefit which they receive, which others might reasonably consider to influence his or her actions or words as a Member of Parliament.