Photograph by Herman
MPs have been exposed for claiming £200,000 of taxpayers’ money to cover the cost of heating their second homes at a time when energy prices are rocketing and Downing Street told people to put on more jumpers.
340 MPs, including a number of government ministers, have claimed taxpayer money to cover the cost of heating their second homes according to an investigation by the Sunday Mirror
Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi claimed the greatest amount at £5,822.27 to cover electricity and heating oil for his estate in Warwickshire that he owns alongside a £5 million house in London, with 41 MPs claiming more than £1000 to cover such costs, notably more than the £600 bill for the average household.
What gives the accusations an extra sting is that a number of those claiming to heat their homes of expenses are the same MPs that dismissed Ed Miliband’s plans to bring down energy prices for the public.
MPs are permitted to claim for energy and heating for their second homes under the rules of parliamentary expenses, but at a time when pensioners around the country are struggling to keep up with spiralling prices this news will not sit well with the public.