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Journalism of Courage
Twenty-seven British MPs are claiming taxpayer-funded expenses to rent homes in London while simultaneously letting property in the capital,a media report today said.
Members of the House of Commons,including former ministers,are claiming expenses of up to 20,000 pounds a year each for rent as well as receiving rent from properties that were often purchased and refurbished with taxpayer assistance,
The Daily Telegraph said in a report.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority confirmed that at least eight MPs are either letting properties to,or renting from,another MP,a loophole in the rules that effectively allows them to continue building up property nest-eggs at taxpayers’ expense,it said.
Parliamentary records shows that the 27 MPs who are renting London homes while claiming rental income for other flats include Liam Fox,the former defence secretary,Chris Bryant,the shadow immigration minister,and former defence
ministers Peter Luff and Nick Harvey,as well as David Amess,a Tory MP,the daily said.
While they have done nothing wrong under parliamentary rules,the disclosures will prompt questions about how taxpayers’ money is being used and lead to greater demands for transparency from MPs about their expenses.
