The Evening Standard yesterday named and shamed the 11 Labour and five Tory MPs representing constituencies in London, and all living within an hour’s commute of Westminster, who claim taxpayers’ money for a second home.
You can read the full story here, which identifies the 16 Labour/Tory MPs concerned. The Standard quotes James Allie, Lib Dem candidate for the London Assembly seat of Brent and Harrow:
“It is this kind of behaviour that gives politicians a bad name. The second home allowance is meant for MPs who live too far away to commute to Westminster. There is no conceivable reason why taxpayers should be paying a fortune to house London-based Labour MPs.
“Do they consider themselves too important to travel to work by Tube like the rest of us? Taxpayers’ money should be spent on housing the poor and the vulnerable. Why should Labour MPs enjoy two places to live while so many people in our city are struggling to make ends meet?”
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3 Comments
http://duncanborrowman.blogspot.com/2007/10/derek-conway-joins-bexley-tory-gravy.html
http://duncanborrowman.blogspot.com/2007/10/derek-conway-expenses.html
Back in the days when the Commons regularly sat from 3.30 in the afternoon to about midnight there was perhaps more of a case for MPs not actually from inner London to have a regular bolt-hole a few minutes from the Chamber. Times change though, as indeed have commons working hours.
I am proud that no London Lib Dem MP has claimed the allowance. We need to make sure we proclaim that fact loud and clear.