Houses of Parliament. Photograh by Peter Broster
MPs from across the political spectrum were accused of taking liberties with the public purse in their expenses claims in 2009, with a number facing criminal prosecutions for their actions. However, the scandal now seems long forgotten by MPs as the expenses bill rises beyond the level which caused the outcry in 2009.
The total bill for MPs’ expenses, including staffing costs, for 2012 rose to £98.1 million, nearly three million more than the £95.4 million bill from 2009.
An MP’s basic salary is £65,738, but a number of MPs have claimed more than triple that figure on expenses and staffing costs, with the highest claims from:
- Ian Paisley (DUP): £232,042.33
- Jim Shannon (DUP): £220,198.15
- Malcolm Bruce (LibDem) £201,308.30
- Karen Bradley (Con) £198,866.16
- Simon Danczuk (Lab) £198,770.05
- Charles Kennedy (LibDem) £196,095.43
- Tom Harris (Lab) £195,885.33
- Willie Bain (Lab) £195,810.00
- Stephen Gilbert (LibDem) £194,107.50
- Anne Begg (Lab) £193,536.31
Some of these claims far exceed the expenses claims of some of the most prominent political figures including the Prime Minister, who claimed £121,872.97, and George Osborne, who claimed £120,898.07.
It is not just the cost of expenses that are causing many concern either, with a number of MPs having family members on their staff. Employing family members was to be banned by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 2009 in the wake of the last scandal, but the decision was reversed after an outcry from MPs about employing their spouses.
Spouses are not the only relations to be employed by MPs, however, with Nadine Dorries employing both of her daughters, who are recent graduates, with salaries of between £30,000 and £45,000.
