Westminster Accounts: Senior MPs claiming as much as £3,300 a month to lease second houses

Ministers and shadow cupboard members are claiming as much as £3,300 a month to cowl lease on a second dwelling, analysis by Sky News can reveal.

MPs are allowed to expense the prices of a second property to both have a base of their constituency or someplace to remain once they journey to parliament, if their seat is exterior of London.

But the lodging expense stories for the senior MPs – collected and printed by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) – present the prices fluctuate broadly.

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Sky News has appeared on the declarations of what has been paid and claimed to this point for 2022/23 for all members of parliament which can be within the Conservative cupboard or Labour’s shadow cupboard.

According to one in every of London’s largest property brokers, Foxtons, the common rental worth of a one bed room flat in Westminster is £2,036 per calendar month.

However, veterans minister Johnny Mercer, who represents Plymouth, has claimed again £3,300 per thirty days for his rented lodging in London, totalling £23,100 for the interval – the very best of any of the senior politicians we checked out.

Security minister Tom Tugendhat – whose constituency is the Kent commuter city of Tonbridge – had the second-highest Tory declare, coming in at £2,400 a month or £19,200 in complete. We requested Mr Tugendhat to make clear the place the property was, however we didn’t get a response.

He was adopted by immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who claimed £2,000 a month when away from his Newark constituency, or £16,000 for the 12 months to this point.

On Labour’s frontbench, the very best lease declare got here from shadow enterprise secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who has expensed £3,141.66 per thirty days when staying in London away from his Stalybridge and Hyde constituency within the North West – a complete of £21,991.62 for the interval.

However, it’s understood by Sky News to be a 3 bed room property utilized by his complete household.

He was adopted by shadow worldwide improvement secretary and Birmingham Edgbaston MP Preet Kaur Gill, who claimed £2,600 a month or £20,8000 for the interval – though Sky understands she has a two bed room dwelling for her and her youngsters.

Following was Labour’s deputy chief, Ashton-under-Lyne MP Angela Rayner, who claimed £2,491.67 a month – £19,933.36 for the interval – but in addition has two dependents.

All of the above quantities are inside the annual price range restrict set by IPSA of £25,080 for London rental properties or £17,840 for constituency properties.

If an MP has a dependent – a toddler below 18 – residing with them, their most price range is elevated by £5,720 per youngster, as much as a most of three.

IPSA has defended the foundations it units, saying: “Covering accommodation costs is an essential part of helping politics to become accessible to all.

“Without the lodging price range, an MP would both need to work in just one location or pay for a second lodging themselves. This would forestall individuals from lower-income backgrounds from turning into MPs.

“It is vital for our democracy that we have a representative, functioning parliament, and we are committed to providing the financial support necessary for this to happen.”

The organisation added: “MPs’ second homes are not a luxury or a ‘perk’, they are necessary for an MP to do their job.

“The IPSA lodging price range is there to make sure that MPs aren’t out of pocket from having to work in two places.”

As nicely as lease, MPs are allowed to expense “associated costs” for his or her second dwelling, together with utility payments.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace claimed the very best quantity when it got here to these prices – a complete of £4,811.35 for each electrical energy and heating oil at his dwelling in South Lakeland, close to his constituency of Wyre and Preston North.

It is known he has three dependents residing with him on the property, and his important house is in London.

Sky News additionally understands a big portion of the invoice – £3,790.65 – accounted for vitality used within the earlier 12 months, however the fee and declare was made within the 2022/23 interval.

The second-highest utilities declare was by Labour’s Ian Murray, who expensed £1,932.16 of payments at his London property for when he travels down from his Edinburgh constituency.

That quantity included 4 months of payments from the earlier monetary 12 months – £654.12 – that he paid and claimed in 2022/23 on the finish of his tenancy, and he doesn’t declare again his lease.

The third-largest declare got here from Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who expensed £1,490.58 for fuel, electrical and water payments in the identical interval.

Earlier this week, the Daily Mirror revealed she was making the declare on her household dwelling in Hertfordshire and was staying along with her dad and mom free of charge when she did go to her Hampshire seat of Fareham – once more, inside the guidelines, however some argued it was not “in the spirit” of them.

When all of the lodging prices have been introduced collectively, it was Mr Wallace who put within the greatest declare – a complete of £27,259.83 to cowl council tax, cellphone and web prices, lease, floor lease and repair cost, and utilities at his constituency property.

The highest declare from Labour got here from Mr Reynolds, who expensed £24,758.69 for council tax and his lease.

Read extra:
Westminster Accounts: The story to this point
The MPs incomes thousands and thousands
APPGs – ‘The subsequent massive scandal’

Some MPs select to make use of accommodations when coming to the capital for parliament, relatively than having a second dwelling, which they will expense below the foundations as nicely – as much as £190 an evening.

The Conservative cupboard claimed £39,381.05 on rooms between 5 MPs within the 2022/23 filings, with Transport Secretary Mark Harper, who represents the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, expensing essentially the most at a complete of £16,547.60.

A supply near Mr Harper mentioned he took the choice to make use of accommodations when he was a backbencher as he was solely in London two nights per week and it “offered more value to the taxpayer”.

But after being promoted to cupboard, he has now began renting a flat as he’s in London as much as 4 nights per week.

The supply added: “Mark is very pro the increased transparency and has a track record of being scrupulous about value for the taxpayer.”

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No Labour shadow cupboard member claimed again cash for a London resort room.

Numerous cupboard members are allotted so-called “grace and favour” lodging when in authorities, making them ineligible to say on second houses.

They embody Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who lives in Number 10, and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who lives in Number 11.

A property in Carlton Gardens has additionally been allotted to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, and there are rooms out there to make use of for lodging in Admiralty House – although Downing Street mentioned they have been utilized in one-off capacities, relatively than long-term stays.

Several MPs in each the Tory and Labour prime groups even have London constituencies, that means they aren’t entitled to say on second houses both, together with Sir Keir Starmer, Tory chairman Greg Hands and shadow international secretary David Lammy.

Every MP talked about within the article has been contacted by Sky News for a response.