MP Nadhim Zahawi paid £200 BBC panel fee

STRATFORD MP Nadhim Zahawi was paid £200 for an appearance as a panel guest on the publicly-funded BBC World Service in July, according to the latest Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

The figure is relatively modest, but will raise eyebrows as the World Service is partly funded by the licence fee and benefits from £289million in government funding between 2016 and 2020.

Mr Zahawi’s basic MPs’ salary of £74,000-a-year is also funded through the public purse.

A spokesman for Mr Zahawi said: “Fees for appearing on the BBC are transferred automatically by the BBC.

“Nadhim has never requested a fee and routinely appears on the BBC for no fee whatsoever, for example on Victoria Derbyshire this week.

“Hundreds of other MPs from all parties have received similar payments and this is clear when looking at the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.”

Mr Zahawi has been re-elected to the foreign affairs select committee.

He said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been re-elected to this important committee and I thank my colleagues for their support. I look forward to working with fellow committee members during this parliament and to serving under the committee’s new chairman, Tom Tugendhat.”