‘Pro-Saudi’ UK MP pleaded for paid work in Gulf relations, messages reveal

A member of parliament for Britain’s Conservative Party repeatedly asked for paid work related to the Middle East to pay for his children’s school fees, in a series of WhatsApp messages revealed to the Guardian newspaper.

Daniel Kawczynski, the Tory MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, attempted to get paid work from a businessman through an anonymous fixer by citing his consistent support for Saudi Arabia in parliament.

In the messages, sent between September 2017 and June 2018, he is seen telling the fixer that “I am looking for a position with a company as non exec director or adviser/consultant. Obviously my passion for Anglo Arab relations [is] something which could help a company with relations in the UK or Middle East. Not sure what remuneration I am looking for but you are such a good negotiator!”

Kawczynski repeatedly reiterated that he needs “an important strategic position which will allow me to spend time in [the] Gulf ideally helping and advising an important company.” He also drew particular attention to regularly earning money from those contacts in the Middle East, saying in another message that “Ideally I am looking for a consultancy in monthly basis as I need the stability of regular income.”

It was not just Saudi Arabia he was hoping to benefit from, but even a regional rival at the time. When offering to be involved in setting up a conference related to Qatar, he again urged the fixer to push for paid service, insisting that “I need it to pay school fees!”

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After the fixer indicated that he could potentially set him up with Saudi businessman Yasser Bin Homran, who later came to London, Kawczynski invited the businessman to parliament for a private meeting and a personal tour. When the chances of getting paid work with Bin Homran faded, though, the MP exclaimed to the fixer: “Do they understand how genuinely pro Saudi I am??? No one in Commons has promoted Saudi more during last 12 years as genuinely pro Saudi.”

Although he did not manage to attain work related to the Middle East, in 2018 Kawczynski declared a £6,000 ($8,000) monthly earning for consultancy services for the company Electrum Group, which specialises in mining and precious metals investment. Overall, he has reportedly received over £250,000 ($333,000) from the company.

The revelation of the Tory MP’s pleading for paid work to supplement his existing salary – the average MP’s salary amounts to over £81,900 ($1091,100) per year – comes at a time when there is fierce debate and controversy over rules which allow parliamentarians to hold second jobs.

A spokesperson for Kawczynski told the paper, however, that he had “broken no rules with regards to second jobs, and most importantly he prioritises his work as MP for the constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham.”

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