Dorset MP's financial interests

Our new MPs have all declared their financial interests for the year 2024/25 in recently published documents by Parliament.

Here is a summary for our MPs:

Jessica Toale, Bournemouth West 

Like many other Labour MPs, Bournemouth West’s MP Jessica Toale received a £15,000 donation from Gary Lubner, the Autoglass boss who donated £4.5m to Labour during its election campaign. 

She was also given £15,000 by Poole Bay Holdings, a B2B eCommerce and catalogue marketer based in Fleets Corner Business Park. 

Ms Toale was also given £10,000 from GMB Southern Region, £5,000 by a woman named Julia Davies and another £5,000 from Labour Together Limited. 

Ms Toale accepted flights, accommodation and meals to the value of £1,950 for a “fact finding” trip to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories between July 9 and 13, 2023.

Here, she had “meetings with Israeli and Palestinian politicians, academics, activists and diplomats” which was paid for by Labour Friends of Israel. 

MPs must also declare their land and property portfolio with a value of more than £100,000 and where indicated, the portfolio provides a rental income of more than £10,000 a year. 

According to the documents, Ms Toale has three flats in London that she rents out. 

Jessica Toale and Tom Hayes

Tom Hayes, Bournemouth East 

Until he was elected as Labour’s first ever MP for Bournemouth East, Tom Hayes was the chief executive of mental health charity Elmore Community Services based in Oxford, where he used to be a councillor. 

But, a day after his election win, he stood down as the boss. Accounts suggest he didn’t earn any money from this not-for-profit organisation. 

He also received just over £20,000 in donations from either Labour party organisations or indirectly via a central party organisation. 

This includes Labour Together Limited who gave £5,000 to support campaigning, The Communication Workers Union (£2,750), GMB Southern Region (£10,000) and Arden Strategies, a communications firm that covered restaurant costs for a fundraising dinner with him and two other candidates (£2,320.85). 

He has had no foreign trips as an MP. 

Neil Duncan-Jordan, Poole 

Neil Duncan-Jordan is a trade union official, where he receives £678.72. He has not worked any hours as an official since becoming an MP. 

As part of his election campaign, the RMT donated £4,000 to Mr Duncan-Jordan, UNISON South West Region donated £2,000 and UNITE donated £10,000. 

He has not been abroad as an MP. Mr Duncan-Jordan said everything registered is transparent. 

Neil Duncan-Jordan, MP for Poole (Image: PR)

Vikki Slade, Mid Dorset and North Poole 

Liberal Democrat MP Vikki Slade of course has her role as a councillor for Broadstone, but she briefly remained as the leader of BCP Council while being an MP. 

On her financial interests, she has registered remuneration of £49,249 comprising allowances for her role as a councillor (£14,458), leader (£31,320) and group leader of the Lib Dems (£3,471) - although the leader of the council role she resigned as shortly after the election.

Mrs Slade put her hours per week in her BCP Council roles as adding up to 60 hours, although “there is no specific number of hours”, she said. She is entitled to continue her role as a councillor and did so to avoid a costly by-election.

She was also a lead member of the Local Government Association, where she claimed £9,627 from 16 hours of work - but has also resigned this role.

Donations to Mrs Slade include £2,626 from Dorset IT specialist Mark Fidell, £2,000 from Bamborough Properties managing director Philip Bamborough, £15,000 from Wimborne Liberal Hall and £3,000 from Yorkshire-based Adam Management Holdings Ltd. 

Vikki Slade, MP for MDNP (Image: Richard Crease)

A registration of gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources includes complimentary membership of the National Liberal Club from August 15 to December 31, 2025.  

Mrs Slade also has several unpaid roles, including as a trustee of the Broadstone Neighbourhood Forum, a trustee of the Broadstone Youth Club, a governor of a school, a board member of the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership and company director of BCP council’s Seascape, the latter has ended.

Sir Chris Chope, Christchurch 

Long-standing Christchurch MP Sir Chris Chope is also the director of Carclew Limited, a small private company which provides business consultancy services but excludes advice on parliamentary or public affairs. 

He also employs his wife Christine as his full-time secretary. No money has been declared by Sir Chris. 

All MPs were given the opportunity to comment.