Outing our overt overspending ocracy...

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Once again the Tax Payers' Alliance is doing a sterling service by highlighting the overt overspending of our Members of Parliament, those sent to represent the people, no really, stop sniggering at the back, that is what they are meant to do. 

This is not new, MPs and their hangers-on seem to be consumed with self-entitlement,  to claim back what most 'normal' people have to spend out of their own pockets (2nd mortgage, furniture, utility bills, TVs, donations to charities [i.e. poppies FFS!], and remember this has been going on for decades:  "ice cube tray, a fluffy duster, a toilet roll holder and tealights" [DT] and even porn!!!). What does your MP claim?  

The TPA have "revealed the average cost of an MP has increased by 29 per cent over the covid pandemic, from £157,747 in 2019-20 to £203,880 in 2020-21." 

Among the highlights is the astounding fact that the "average cost of an MP was £203,880". Remember this DOES NOT include their salary. [Full Report PDF] 

Britain’s most expensive MP was the member for Broxtowe, Darren Henry, with total spending of £280,936. Now, to not prejudge - oops too late - maybe he had set-up expenses, being a fairly new MP (2019) but Broxtowe is by Nottingham - not even half way up the country, and the M1 motorway runs through the constituency; it is between Derby and Nottingham mainline stations i.e. it is effing easy to get to London. In fact it is just a few stops up the same line as Kettering, the constituency of the least expensive MP, Philip Hollobone (£80,709. A full 200K less). Philip has CONSTANTLY been the lowest spender - or amongst the lowest - for as long as he has been an MP. 

Just as a reminder that MPs taking advantage of the pandemic and lockdown with a total spend of £132.5 million (up 4.6 per cent on previous years) is peanuts compared to - revealed last month - the [sadly unsurprising] news that there is " £17 billion estimated to be lost from unpaid business loans as any losses were guaranteed to be covered by taxpayers - that's 36 per cent of the entire scheme." [Bounce Back Loan Scheme PDF update].