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London MPs face pay probe as they prepare to pocket 9% increase
Joe Murphy, Paul Waugh and Nicholas Cecil31.03.09
A full inquiry into the scandal of MPs' pay and perks was speeded up today as dozens of London MPs were set to pocket an inflation-busting rise of more than nine per cent.
Sir Christopher Kelly, the chairman of the anti-sleaze Committee on Standards in Public Life, promised to rush through "fundamental" reforms by the end of the year.
Sir Christopher said public outrage had forced party leaders to agree for the first time "a consensus in favour of reform". He said: "The situation has changed quite dramatically over the last few months and I am pleased that there is now such widespread political consensus."
Pressure on Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who claimed £139,000 over seven years for her family home, increased today. In a clear rebuke, Labour backbenchers Kelvin Hopkins and Lynne Jones signed a motion calling for any minister to be sacked if they misused their second home expenses.
Possible reforms could be to axe the second home allowance and ban all London MPs from claiming it.
Astonishingly, despite the recession and a pay freeze for millions, London MPs are to be entitled to an extra £6,163 from tomorrow.
They get a 2.3 per cent salary rise - from £63,291 to around £64,766 - plus a 170 per cent rise in the special living allowance paid to inner London MPs and some outer London MPs, which leaps from £2,812 to £7,500.
With the rise threatening to cause major embarrassment, Gordon Brown last night told government ministers to agree not to take the money.
His intervention means no rise for Harriet Harman, who voted against the allowance rise, and Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, who voted for it.
But Labour backbenchers will be free to take the lot if they choose, said sources.
Most of the MPs affected are Labour as the party dominates inner London constituencies. It was unclear whether Tory rising star Justine Greening, the shadow communities minister, would take the rise in full. A Conservative spokesman said the party had not made a decision.
Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "Now we are in recession and need massive public sector spending constraints. MPs should have their allowances frozen."
The latest list of expenses revealed record claims by MPs and fuelled allegations of a Commons gravy train.
The Prime Minister took a lead last night by proposing an end to the right of any London MP to claim for a second home or overnight accommodation. This would affect MPs including Tony McNulty who claims for a house in Harrow that his parents live in, Dawn Butler who claims for a second home despite living 11 miles from Westminster, and married couple Ann and Alan Keen, who claim for second homes despite representing London seats.
Mr Brown suggested non-London MPs should receive a nightly accommodation allowance instead of a second home.
Figures showed the total claimed by MPs went up six per cent in 2007-8, to more than £93million.
More than 150 MPs received the maximum £23,083 for staying away from home. Ms Smith was paid £22,948 towards running her family home in her Redditch constituency. She is facing calls to quit.
London Tory MP Sir Malcolm Rifkind has claimed more than £2,500 to fly between the capital and his main home in Scotland. Meanwhile, senior Tory MP Jacqui Lait claimed for driving more than 21,000 miles last year, even though she has a London constituency.
| Rank name/Constituency | Second home | Communications | Total (also includes travel, staff and office expenses) |
| 1 Ann Keen (Feltham and Heston) | £18,338 | £10,000 | £167,306 |
| 2 Bob Neil (Bromley and Chislehurst) | £19,108 | £11,209 | £157,332 |
| 3 Andrew Rosindell (Romford) | £23,083 | £9,914 | £156,832 |
| 4 Dr Rudi Vis (Finchley and Golder's Green) | £23,083 | £9,390 | £156,728 |
| 5 Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead) | £23,083 | £9,027 | £155,026 |
| 6 Joan Ryan (Enfield North) | £21,658 | £10,940 | £151,954 |
| 7 Dawn Butler (Brent South) | £23,083 | £11,396 | £151,515 |
| 8 Andy Love (Edmonton) | £23,083 | £7,371 | £148,757 |
| 9 Edward Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) | £2,812* | £9,690 | £148,201 |
| 10 Alan Keen (Brentford and Isleworth) | £19,855 | £9,786 | £147,976 |
| 11 Mike Gapes (Ilford South) | £22,291 | £5,898 | £147,663 |
| 12 Richard Ottaway (Croydon South) | £21,481 | £14,533 | £145,373 |
| 13 John Austin (Erith & Thamesmead) | £23,083 | £5,486 | £145,285 |
| 14 Jon Cruddas (Dagenham) | £23,071 | £9,469 | £144,961 |
| 15 Barry Gardiner (Brent North) | £15,079 | £10,587 | £144,092 |
| 16 Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) | £18,181 | £7,558 | £142,696 |
| 17 Lyn Brown (West Ham) | £15,889 | £3,255 | £140,537 |
| 18 Stephen Pound (Ealing North) | £2,812* | £9,854 | £137,950 |
| 19 Andrew Dismore (Hendon) | £3,815 | £9,930 | £137,445 |
| 20 Andrew Slaughter (Ealing Acton & Shepherd's Bush) | £2,812* | £9,899 | £137,153 |
| 21 Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate) | £2,812* | £5,021 | £136,793 |
| 22 George Galloway (Bethnal Green & Bow) | £1,978 | £10,000 | £136,390 |
| 23 Gareth Thomas (Harrow East) | £11,748 | £9,992 | £136,231 |
| 24 Jacqui Lait (Beckenham) | £15,478 | £6,858 | £135,916 |
| 25 John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) | £2,812* | £8,757 | £135,180 |
| 26 Tony McNulty (Harrow East) | £12,600 | £9,214 | £134,402 |
| 27 Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden) | £2,812* | £19,709 | £134,302 |
| 28 Sadiq Khan (Tooting) | £2,812* | £10,733 | £134,211 |
| 29 Margaret Hodge (Barking) | £2,812* | £11,018 | £133,255 |
| 30 Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North) | £2,812* | £9,686 | £133,234 |
| 31 David Lammy (Tottenham) | £2,812* | £9,874 | £133,224 |
| 32 Emily Thornberry (Islington South & Finsbury) | £2,812* | £17,387 | £132,390 |
| 33 Diane Abbott (Hackney North & Stoke Newington) | £2,812* | £7,948 | £131,735 |
| 34 Malcolm Wicks (Croydon North) | £2,812* | £9,916 | £131,601 |
| 35 Bridget Prentice (Lewisham East) | £2,812* | £8,974 | £131,352 |
| 36 Joan Ruddock (Lewisham Deptford) | £2,812* | £8,894 | £131,237 |
| 37 Jim Dowd (Lewisham West) | £2,812* | £9,701 | £131,165 |
| 38 Simon Hughes (Southwark N and Bermondsey) | £2,812* | £8,325 | £131,165 |
| 39 Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster) | £2,812* | £14,014 | £131,071 |
| 40 Martin Linton (Battersea) | £2,812* | £10,357 | £131,070 |
| 41 Derek Conway (Old Bexley & Sidcup) | £23,033 | £2,746 | £130,947 |
| 42 Clive Efford (Eltham) | £2,812* | £11,302 | £129,840 |
| 43 Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington) | £2,812* | £6,528 | £129,781 |
| 44 Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green) | £2,812* | £11,924 | £129,431 |
| 45 Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) | £2,812* | £6,147 | £129,310 |
| 46 Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam) | £2,812* | £15,525 | £128,666 |
| 47 Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon) | £2,812* | £9,608 | £128,494 |
| 48 Angela Watkinson (Upminster) | £21,234 | £5,579 | £128,205 |
| 49 Harriet Harman (Camberwell & Peckham) | £2,812* | £9,074 | £127,685 |
| 50 Susan Kramer (Richmond Park) | £2,812* | £8,779 | £127,039 |
| 51 David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate) | £2,812* | £11,329 | £126,967 |
| 52 Meg Hillier (Hackney South & Shoreditch) | £2,812* | £18,645 | £126,487 |
| 53 Sarah Teather (Brent South) | £2,812* | £8,013 | £126,426 |
| 54 Tessa Jowell (Dulwich and West Norwood) | £2,812* | £5,405 | £126,405 |
| 55 Vincent Cable (Twickenham) | £2,812* | £3,538 | £126,140 |
| 56 John Horam (Orpington) | £11,452 | £10,687 | £121,975 |
| 57 Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar & Canning Town) | £2,812* | £5,360 | £121,553 |
| 58 Nick Hurd (Ruislip Northwood) | £2,812* | £13,323 | £121,481 |
| 59 Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham) | £2,812* | £5,351 | £121,357 |
| 60 Keith Hill (Streatham) | £2,812* | £9,671 | £121,151 |
| 61 Justine Greening (Putney) | £2,812* | £7,910 | £120,435 |
| 62 Lee Scott (Ilford North) | £2,812* | £5,652 | £120,079 |
| 63 Malcolm Rifkind (Kensington and Chelsea) | £2,812* | £4,188 | £119,685 |
| 64 Stephen Timms (East Ham) | £2,812* | £4,953 | £119,225 |
| 65 Nick Raynsford (Greenwich and Woolwich) | £2,812* | £7,975 | £117,562 |
| 66 Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow) | £2,812* | £5,721 | £117,044 |
| 67 Iain Duncan Smith (Chingford & Woodford Green) | £2,812* | £6,593 | £112,905 |
| 68 James Brokenshire (Hornchurch) | £14,589 | £2,746 | £109,215 |
| 69 David Evennett (Bexleyheath & Crayford) | £2,812* | £4,611 | £108,837 |
| 70 Andrew Pelling (Croydon Central) | £2,812* | £10,887 | £106,873 |
| 71 Kate Hoey (Vauxhall) | £2,812* | £4,552 | £100,677 |
| 72 John Randall (Uxbridge) | £2,812* | £0 | £98,903 |
| 73 Frank Dobson (Holborn & St Pancras) | £2,812* | £2,625 | £97,840 |
| 74 Virendra Sharma (Ealing Southall) | £1,958* | £6,157 | £93,052 |
Reader views (42)
This will prove to be the final straw which broke the camel's back when despite all their best efforts, the wholesale FRAUD of Taxpayers money by MP's is uncovered and hits the fan.((((((((((((((((duck)))))))))))))))
Phew! What a stench!
- Frank, Bristol UK
At a time when we are facing the biggest crisis since WW2, with swingeing job losses and financial hardship for millions, all exacerbated by the gross incompetence of Gordon Brown and his cabinet, we must stump up £millions more to maintain these Orwellian pigs in the lap of luxury. What monumental arrogance!
As a further kick in the teeth to ordinary Britons and British companies, struggling to make ends meet, we are today landed with a 9p/gallon increase in the cost of road fuel. This cost will be passed on to all of us, whether we drive or not and will do nothing but make British business even less competitive than it is already.
This is the true face of NuLiebour Socialism and their politics of spite and envy; they couldn't drag the feckless and the idle out of relative poverty, so they've dragged the rest of us into it!
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
Tax payers are currently paying for a block of high rise flats to be built to house athletes. Make them available for the MPs who choose not to travel home in the evenings. In this way future home secretaries cannot claim thousands of pounds for second homes which are in effect spare rooms in relatives' houses.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
SERVES THIS WOMAN RIGHT.. SHE'S ALWAYS TALKING TOUGH ON IMMIGRATION AND HOW SHE WILL DEPORT ALL FAILED ASYLUM SEEKERS... NOW SHE'S UNDER SCRUTINY AS WELL..ANYONE THAT PERSECUTES FOREIGNERS WILL FACE THE WRATH OF GOD..
- Steve Brown, london
Laughable . . . especially when we remember the whining and obtuse remarks by Jacqui Smith when the police were asking for a decent wage rise last year. Funny how she and her husband use the tax payers money to buy fancy antique fireplaces, porn and bath plugs and then top it all off with a "nice little earner" of a pay rise and substantial increase in allowances to boot ! ! !
Hypocritical in the extreme, me thinks ! ! !
- Eoin Mcgreeghan, Derry, NI
There I was listening to the Tories castigating the ministers for their greed when I spot my Conservative MP, 12 on the list. trousering £145,000 of my and my fellow residents money.
You live in LB of Croydon Mr Ottaway, what do you need a second home for? you live 20 mins from central london.
Get the last train back from Victoria, and a cab from East Croydon. £10 a trip, 4 days a week, that's less than two grand, not £23,000.
- Kerry Trubee, Purley
Now that more than 50% of our laws are made in Brussels why cannot the number of MPs be reduced by 50% ?
- Peter, London
Cohen should be very embarrassed - if you check the TFL website the last tube leaves westminster for wanstead at 00.19 and takes 40 minutes. Presumably he actually leaves the House earlier than this most/every night. An annual travel card costs £1,472!!
- Andy, London
We need a root and branch reform of the Palace of Westminster - expenses, also do we need quite so many MPs??
- Jeremy E, London
Amazing there are over two million people out of work including me but the politicians who got us into this state get a pay rise , the word SICK comes to mind.
- Rangan, watford UK
Hoe does Jacqui Lait with a house paid for by us manage to rack up 21,000 miles in a year? That is over 50 miles per day 365 days per year. Beckenham is about 10 miles from Westminster!
- Dave, London England
Congratulations Ann Keen (Feltham and Heston) for being top of the list.
Can you spare 50p for a cup of tea?
- Downtrodden, Cardboard box under Waterloo Bridge
unless she gets the major role in one ho ho ho
- Mikeee, peterborough uk
I suppose the only effective way us normal mortals can protest effectively, is to boycott the next election. I feel that they are all tared with the same brush.
- Shallotman, Basildon
Quote: M D, cardiff UK
I know its a few years away but why not house the MPs in the Olympic Village after 2012? That would get rid of this second homes nonsense and make use of otherwise redundant facilities.
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Why wait till 2012; the London Zoo is already there; and much nearer to the Houses of Parliament.
- Mickyinlondon, london
What a joy to see tacky Jacqui and Hazel Blears out enjoying themselves oblivious to the anger felt by the electorate at Smith's behaviour. She is clearly dining well on what we pay her - she now has three chins (as well as the two homes. Enjoy what's left of your time in office Jacqui - you haven't a hope of being re-elected. You will have to find a job in the real world - but I doubt if it will be one which will tolerate claims for pornographic films.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
Roz from Chamonix is absolutely right! Some of these MP“s are making a mockery of the public and the system, they just dont seem to care! It is stories like this one that made me leave the Uk in 2008 to live and work abroad. Labour have ruined the Uk, over a decade of power and for what - a worsening and more expensive public transport system, NHS no obvious improvements (if anything it is worse), Housing - a joke, Culture - kids are allowed to run riot, no sense of respect or order anymore; Cost of living - sky rocketed to a level that apart from the top 5-10% of earners can not be sustained by the silent majority. Income & Council Taxes through the roof, no support for the entrepeunerial spirit etc etc. Who knows if the Conservatives could or would do any better but something has to change in the Uk otherwise the situation will go from bad to a hell of alot worse. And this whole idea of spend, spend, spend your way out of recession, its just madness! As a previous person has said, whatever happened to the honour of serving the great country that was the Uk, stop this absurd behaviour and serve the people that voted you in, they dont have expense accounts for 2nd houses so concentrate on the matters at hand and try and get the Uk“s flagging global reputation back on track!
- Melly, Cartagena
Well, with the price of adult films these days, I can see that some MP's appear to have some difficulty surviving on what we give [sic] them. Let's hope the furore over the past few days brings out the details of all MP's expenses. My guess is that more than a few will be facing the call for resignation. They should then be pursued through the courts for misappropriation of public funds.
- Brianonthecam, Cambridge UK
I know its a few years away but why not house the MPs in the Olympic Village after 2012? That would get rid of this second homes nonsense and make use of otherwise redundant facilities.
- M D, cardiff UK
A suggestion. Let them award themselves any size of pay rise they want, subject to the following condition. At the next election, the boundary commission will re-draw the map to reduce the number of constituencies, so that the parliamentary wage bill after the election will be the same as it is today.
This might concentrate their minds on jobs rather than gravy. And we really don't need six hundred odd MPs. Three hundred would be plenty.
- Nigel, London
It goes on and on. What it boils down to is if the MP's are unhappy with the pay they are given then they can do what everyone else in employment has to do and that is resign and go and find a better paid job. As for the 2nd home allowance for MP's in the SE England they should be forced to take the train like every other commuter....maybe then they would appreciate how bad the London train system is and would go about getting it sorted.
UK politics is a joke. Maybe the population should appeal to HRH The Queen to have a word with them.
Its about time UK MPs entered the real world rather than the soft and cushioned one they have existed in for far too long.
- Mark, London, UK
Cant wait for the general election, when this government will get its just deserves, they will be knocked out until kingdom come, and will be hopefully never ever be elected into government again
- Kuldip, London, UK
Nu Labor go away! Crash Gordon's bunch back to where they come from Scotland.
- Georgie, Islington, London
Dear Sir Mr Brown,
I hereby submit my application to be a minister in your Cabinet. I will be far better than any one you currently employ, because:
a) I have spent most of my life struggling and therefore have a very steady grip on the real issues that bother people - so I can tell you which to concentrate on to become extremely popular;
b) I spend many a night in my local, so will be able to give excellent advice on binge-drinking and price increases;
c) I know where to get free porn so I don't have to waste £10 of taxpayers' money and would consequently cause no embarrassment to the government;
d) I already commute so far that I honestly wouldn't mind if I could keep doing it, thereby negating the need of a second home and/or allowance. It would be nice if you agreed to pay my £4,000 a year fare, though;
e) Being a naturalised citizen I also believe I could be an expert on immigration as well.
Please Sir, I implore you to consider my application and look forward to speaking with you in person very soon.
It seems to me that I can do what several ministers do now, thereby also saving you salaries! It just doesn't get any better!
My regards to the wife.
Jay
- Jay, London
The only way forward is, once the expenses are revealed, to vote the various MPs out of office, at the first opportunity!
- Mike Sussex, Hassocks UK
Harry Cohen was right: he IS up there! But alas, not with Churchill.
When I was a lowly London office-worker 25% of my income went in tax and 25% went in commuting to London. What's wrong with this lot doing the same? Any idiot with Economic nouse would see that it is cheaper to put them up at the Holiday Inn for a couple of nights on the occasions they really need to stay over, rather than fork out for second homes.
Whatever happened to the honour of serving your country?
- Roz, Chamonix, France
snouts in trough again. if we abolished the lot of them would it make any difference? unbelievable that their london allowance goes up from £2,812 to £7,500, plus a salary increase of 2.3%. shameful.
- Tonyms, london
I wonder how much MPs would spend on legitimate expenses needed to serve their constituants if they were just given a salary of, say, £120K-£150K with absolutely no additional expenses claimable?
- Bloke, London
Any Taxpayer has the right to take out a private prosecution.
2006 FRAUD ACT
2) Fraud by False Representation
4) Fraud by Abuse of Position.
MP's are NOT exempt from the Law.
- Frank, Bristol UK
This is just unbelievable.... We have a bunch of two faced idiots running our country!!!!
I have had to take a pay freeze at work, so why can't they????
Roll on the next election - Good Bye Mr Brown and his cronies!!!
- Allen, London
I THINK THE WHOLE COUNTRY SHOULD STOP PAYING COUNCIL TAX!
CANT PUT US ALL IN PRISON & THEN MAYBE THEY'D TAKE NOTICE!
I have two jobs & struggle financially why should I have to pay for plasma tv's, sky pay per view movies & all the other little perks they get! please somebody explain!
- Chris Maltby, London
Amazing, I have never heard anything from, or, about the top 10 largest spenders. I wonder if anyone else has apart from their bank managers! I am also very pleased to see that my MP, the Hon. Member for Putney, does not qualify as a top ten spender, and, who from personal experience, can vouch is extremely good value! At the end of the day I think it is all about character,and, values, or perhaps, the lack of them!
- Kevin Sullivan, Roehampton, London.
How disgusting! While the rest of us are suffering - they award themselves a pay rise??? and for what exactly - ruining the country.
- Jk, Kent
Good news,we as a country are in so much debt we will soon be classified as third world.Billions still needs to be paid towards 2012 olympics,free travel on london transport over this period to for all(thanks Ken)although londoners will be paying for this from know to 2020.Looking at some expenses claimed,that equal 20 times some peoples annual salary just shows how the goverment is narrowing the gap between rich and poor.Could someone please tell me the diferrence between are MPs and those of Zimbabwe,they both seem to think all the countries wealth belongs to them.Jail for these crooks is the only way to go,they are no differrent from the common thief.
- David, london
i travel 28 miles to-from work 6 days a week.
im thinking of getting a second home (in a nice warm climate).Of course the British tax payer will pickup the tab. Oh and i think ill just reward myself a few grand extra and claim its all to do with expenses so the taxman and the country can kiss my backside! No,sadly i am not an 'honorable MP'and i live in the real world so its back to my six days to pay my taxes to pay MPs,Councillors and a few other freeloaders...
- J.Martins, london
What a disgusting, greedy, bunch of troughers we have managing our interests. Those class warriors, Labour appear to be the worst of the lot, I really cannot wait until the next election...
- Shelly, London
Pensioners get GBP5.00 per week increase in their pathetic pensions. MP's get GBP30.00+ extra weekly.
Sounds about right for Labour.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe UK
Why not just give them a limitless credit card!!!!
And yes please can I be a MP as well.
Getting paid and fiddling, sounds good to me!!!
- C Cusano, Bedford
No wonder my MP Paul Burstowe was almost running down the high street from our train last night, he couldn't wait to get home to tell his wife the news. It comes as a great confort to us, his constituents that he claims this much in expenses as he's about as much use as a chocolate teapot, yes Paul, your neighbors remember the mobile mast debacle and will punish you for it come next election.
- Bob, Cheam
GO ON GORDON BROWN` SHOW EVERYONE YOUR A REAL LEADER.STOP THESE PUPPET`S FROM TAKEING MORE TAX PAYER`S MONEY.OR IS APRIL FOOL`S DAY FOR REAL?...IAN` SCOTLAND.
- Ianmcnab, glasgow
I want to be an MP so that I too can bury my snout in the trough of plenty. I can treat the voting tax payer with nothing but utter contempt and think that I too deserve to be take 24/7. Where do I sign up?
- Enough greed and sleaze, London
Pay increase tomorrow; April the First......OK got you.
April fools all you tax payers; the joke is on you.
- mickyinlondon, london
