The minister for common sense, Esther McVey, has claimed tens of thousands of pounds in rent from MP expenses for a flat just a mile away from her husband's home.
Ms McVey, who is the Conservative MP for Tatton, rents a flat in London that she shares with her husband, fellow Tory MP Philip Davies, and appeared on the official records for the property for the last two years.
During that time she received £39,000 in MP expenses for the Westminster flat, The Telegraph has revealed.
But the couple could have received up to £250,000 from the taxpayer, as it is understood that they have claimed expenses on the flat since 2017, as Mr Davies's name appeared in official records connected to the flat for seven years.
Questions have been raised why Ms McVey even had to claim expenses for a property in the capital, since her husband owns a flat in Waterloo, a mere 25-minute walk away from the flat she claimed expenses on.
The minister for common sense, Esther McVey (pictured), has claimed tens of thousands of pounds in rent from MP expenses for a flat just a mile away from her husband's home
Ms McVey, who is the Conservative MP for Tatton, rents a flat in London that she shares with her husband, fellow Tory MP Philip Davies (pictured), and appeared on the official records for the property for the last two years
According to the register of interests, Mr Davies has declared more than £10,000 rental income for a property in Waterloo, which is understood to be the flat he has owned since 2005 and is currently renting out.
He told the Telegraph last night that him and his wife were 'forced' into this arrangement since he couldn't claim any mortgage interest on his Waterloo flat following a rule change in light of the expenses scandal in 2009.
Mr Davies said claiming back mortgage interest was an option that 'was removed from me' and he would have been 'happy' to continue claiming it rather than renting the second flat.
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AdvertisementMs McVey and Mr Davies aren't the only ones who claim back rent in London while also receiving income from renting out their own flats in the capital, according to an analysis by political campaign group Led by Donkeys.
The group looked at rent expenses claims made by MPs and found at least eight other MPs who claim back rent despite owning their own properties in London, which cost the taxpayer more than £1million in rental expenses since 2017.
Ms McVey has been an MP for Taton since 2017 after first being a Tory MP for Wirral West from 2010 to 2015.
She held several different ministerial positions and was appointed Cabinet Office minister by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in November last year.
Ms McVey and Mr Davies, MP for Shipley, got married in 2020 and both claim rent for a property in London, according to data released by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), which was created after the expenses scandal in 2009.
Both of the MPs claimed £1,625 a month in rental expenses since 2017, which brings their combined expenses for accommodation in London close to £250,000.
Ms McVey reportedly did not respond to comment requests by Led by Donkeys, while Mr Davies told them he would choose to stay in his flat if he owned it outright as this would not incur any cost - 'but that doesn't remotely apply in my case'.
He added: 'As far as I am aware, all workplaces cover the accommodation costs of people working away from home, and I am surprised…[you]…think that should no longer be the case.
In 2020, it has been revealed that Labour MP Cat Smith (pictured) rented a taxpayer-funded flat just a few miles from her husband's home – to avoid a 46-minute commute
'That, of course, will lead to only the wealthiest people in the country being able to become MPs.'
In 2020, it has been revealed that Labour MP Cat Smith rented a taxpayer-funded flat just a few miles from her husband's home – to avoid a 46-minute commute.
Ms Smith, 34, has submitted claims for £15,000 covering her first seven months in the apartment, across the river from the Houses of Parliament in Lambeth. The bills included rent, council tax, utility bills and letting agents' fees.
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AdvertisementShe lived there with her husband Ben Soffa, the Labour Party's head of digital organising, and their son. But Mr Soffa owns a flat in a modern apartment block only six miles away in East London.
Ms Smith, the MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood and shadow minister for youth affairs and voter engagement, is said to have felt she had no choice but to rent the flat – because her previous commute involved a combination of walking, bus and trains.
A source close to the couple, who married in 2016, said they had lived in the East London flat when Miss Smith became an MP but its location proved problematic following the birth of their son because it is not on a direct public transport link into central London.
The quickest route involves a combination of walking, bus and Tube connections taking at least 46 minutes.
Miss Smith and her husband were said to have 'felt unsafe' on the Tube in the rush-hour with a small baby. A spokesman for the couple said they wanted to live close to Westminster for 'childcare reasons'.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority rules do not forbid MPs from claiming rent for a property even if they or their spouse already own one nearby.
The restrictions are that they can make a rental claim for only one property – either in London or their constituency.
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