Humiliated UK MPs... Fooled by Ghost Companies, Even Attended Interviews

Civic Group Impersonates Fake Korean Company to Conduct Wage Negotiations
Five Members of the National Assembly Affected...Hourly Wage Demanded Up to 2.5 Million Won

Members of the UK House of Commons were thoroughly embarrassed after conducting interviews and salary negotiations for advisory positions at a phantom company created by a civic group.

On the 26th (local time), according to UK Sky News, The Guardian, and others, the group behind this 'fake interview' is 'Led by Donkeys,' a civic organization opposing Brexit (the UK's withdrawal from the EU). On the same day, five Conservative Party MPs posted videos of their online interviews for a fake Korean company called 'Hanseong Consulting,' which was created by the group, on Twitter.

Representative Matthew Hancock negotiating wages with a fake interviewer.
Photo by Yonhap News

The MPs who interviewed for the advisory role at 'Hanseong Consulting' included former Health Secretary Matthew Hancock, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng, Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee overseeing elections, Stephen Hammond (former Health Secretary), and Gavin Williamson (former Education Secretary).

The civic group fabricated the existence of Hanseong Consulting, a company headquartered in Seoul, complete with a website, to see how MPs would respond to a job offer. They approached 20 MPs in total: 16 from the Conservative Party, 2 from the Labour Party, 1 from the Liberal Democrats, and 1 independent. The group stated that the company aimed to expand into the UK and Europe and asked the MPs to participate as advisors in board meetings held in various countries, including South Korea.

Five MPs responded, and the group conducted 'fake interviews' with them online.

Fake interview scene of Assemblyman Kwaten. [Photo by Yonhap News]

When asked by the fake interviewer how much he usually earned per day, Hancock replied "?10,000 (about 16 million KRW)" and added that he was thinking of around ?1,500 (about 2.4 million KRW) per hour. In response to the same question, Kwarteng said, "As an MP, I don't need to earn a lot of money," but added, "I wouldn't take a job that pays less than ?10,000 a month." When the fake interviewer said, "We are thinking of paying ?8,000 to ?12,000 per day, and you only need to attend about six meetings a year," Kwarteng responded positively, saying, "Alright. We are not that far apart," and "We can work out the calculations." Brady demanded ?60,000 (about 95 million KRW) annually.

After the video was released, the MPs issued explanations, but some expressed outrage. Brady stated in a statement to Sky News, "Having decided to leave the Commons at the next election, I have received many offers," and emphasized, "Any agreement must be completely transparent, and I have made it clear that I will act within the code of conduct for MPs while serving in Parliament."

Hammond told The Guardian that he considered himself a 'victim of fraud.' He said, "I thought I was interviewing with a company, but it turned out to be a fake company with a fake website." A spokesperson for Hancock also criticized the civic group, saying, "Matthew Hancock acted completely appropriately and within the rules," and added, "Private conversations were illegally made public."

It is not illegal for UK MPs to hold second jobs. However, since former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson was suspended in 2021 for lobbying officials on behalf of two companies, Parliament's view on MPs holding second jobs has changed.

Coincidentally, since all the MPs who had interviews with the phantom company belong to the Conservative Party, the Labour Party stated, "If we come to power, we will ban most MPs from having side jobs," and criticized them, saying, "Conservative MPs tried to fill their pockets using offices funded by taxpayers." Labour MP Lucy Powell said, "Voters demand that we fully dedicate ourselves to this job (as MPs) without pursuing other business interests," and added, "We will work to establish rules banning MPs from holding second jobs in the future."