David Cameron has proved a man of his word. He promised last December that he would “sort out Ipsa” and from next month, MPs will be able to claim for the costs of accommodating their children at a second home – plus several thousands of pounds extra for staffing costs.
The relaxation of expenses rules announced today by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) follows what the media describes as “an aggressive campaign” by MPs against the hapless regulator.
The Telegraph claims that David Cameron had threatened to abolish the new regulator if it did not agree to water down the rules.
But an Ipsa spokesman denied that any bullying had been involved and described the changes as part of an “evolutionary process”. The official line is that the new eligibility rules will cost just "a few million” pounds and should be seen in context compared to the £18m that the new system had already saved in its first ten months.
He unwisely added that Ipsa had resisted pressure from MPs to allow them to claim again for mortgage interest on second homes. So even we mortals can make a fair guess at the next evolutionary step in prime ministerial largesse.
1 Comments:
Absolutely scandalous. What total hypocrisy from the a parliament that was supposed to be very different from the last bunch.
Can you imagine what the reaction from the honourable members would be if a trade union had won similar financial concessions for its members over anti-social hours or relocation costs?
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