As the Conservative Party headed towards election defeat, MP Philip Davies appeared to be already thinking about his next career move.
On June 20, the veteran MP set up a new company, Nessen Ltd, describing the nature of its business as “management consultancy” in a filing with Companies House.
The then honourable Member for Shipley indicated that his profession was that of a “consultant”.
Days later, Davies insisted he was still fighting to win his seat, despite admitting – amid the political betting scandal – that he had bet £8,000 on his defeat.
Fittingly, his new venture shared a partial name with a horse he once co-owned, called Nessen Dorma, according to one racing publication.
But Davies, who did not respond to requests for comment, was far from the only Conservative MP to take cover.
At least a dozen Conservative MPs set up their own management consultancy or PR firm in 2024 as they faced the prospect of life after politics, according to analysis by the Guardian.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing or conflict of interest on the part of the members.
Rather, filings with Companies House suggest that many executives sought new income opportunities. Some did so in the run-up to the election defeat, others after they resigned and still others in the days after Labour’s landslide victory.
Rishi Sunak called an election on May 22, in the pouring rain outside Downing Street, announcing that the country would go to the polls in early July.
On the same day, former Conservative MP Julian Knight set up a new company, DWR174 Consulting Ltd.
Knight had been suspended from the party over allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies, but continued to run in his Solihull constituency as an independent candidate. He did not respond to requests for comment.
Some MPs had already formed new companies in the months leading up to the elections, which were called earlier than expected but were due to take place no later than January 2025.
Marcus Fysh, who would declare the Conservative Party “dead” the day after the vote, appeared to be preparing for life after politics in March when he set up an “IT consultancy”.
Fysh said the company was created to “manage some of the investments I’ve made in artificial intelligence and software engineering.”
Former Conservative MP William Wragg, who was caught up in a sexting scam earlier this year, had set up a management consultancy called Hammerbrace Ltd three months earlier in partnership with his colleague Charles Walker.
Days after it was revealed that Wragg had given MPs’ numbers to someone who had apparently extorted him after they met on a dating app, Wragg applied to have Hammerbrace removed from the business register. The plan to set up a consultancy appears to have failed. Wragg did not respond to a request for comment.
Details of MPs’ plans for work outside politics have emerged as the new Labour government prepares to introduce legislation to tighten rules on the work that members of the House of Commons can do outside public service.
after newsletter promotion
The proposals, which were approved by the House of Commons last Thursday, would prevent MPs from taking on second jobs that do not meet a new test aimed at putting constituents first.
MPs’ choice of positions after political life is overseen by the Advisory Committee on Professional Appointments (ACOBA), which advises senior politicians, usually ministers, on how to take up their positions within two years of leaving office. This independent body typically reviews senior MPs who may be considered to have a conflict of interest, have recent access to inside information or may be lobbying the government.
Former defence minister Ben Wallace set up Glenfiddich Consulting on 8 April after announcing his intention to step down. He told the Guardian the company was set up to receive payments for freelance work, such as speaking on geopolitics.
He was one of several MPs who set up new companies after announcing their departure from politics, while continuing to serve their constituents, according to filings with Companies House, with April proving to be a busy month.
Alok Sharma, a former business secretary and chair of the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow in 2021, set up the Alok Sharma Office in March this year. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Management consulting firms were by far the most common choice for new projects by MPs who had announced their intention to resign. Stephen Hammond, Will Quince and Mark Pawsey set up Vineyard Consultants, Will Quince Ltd and MP Strategic Consulting respectively in April. They did not respond to requests for comment. Two days before the election, Andrew Percy set up Kitsilano Consulting Ltd. He declined to comment.
Several MPs who stood in the July 4 election launched new businesses in the days following their defeat. Amanda Solloway set up Amanda Solloway Ltd, Mark Jenkinson formed Redghyll Ltd and Anthony Browne launched Grand Strategy Ltd, all within two weeks of the results.
Browne, a former chief executive of the British Bankers’ Association, said he planned to return to regulatory affairs. “I didn’t plan for life after the election for the simple reason that up until election day I thought I was going to win. I started a business because I plan to hire and employ people in a business that I hope will be successful,” he added.
Khalid Mahmood, the only Labour MP on the list, set up KN Strategic Solutions on 17 July. He told the Guardian the company was set up to collect fees earned as a senior fellow at the think tank Policy Exchange.
Incorporating a corporation is a legal and common way to earn fees as a self-employed person in a way that legitimately minimizes income taxes.
