THE Home Secretary has been accused of exploiting the system by claiming taxpayer’s money to pay her own household bills amid the cost of living crisis.
An investigation by the Daily Mirror revealed that Suella Braverman claimed almost £25,000 in expenses over five years to pay for her energy usage and other costs for her London house, all while living at her parent’s house during visits to her constituency.
Financial aids were created to stop MPs who live outside of London from falling into debt while running two homes.
However, the Mirror investigation found Braverman uses them to cover the bills on her £1.2 million family home in Bushey, Herts.
#KayBurley - Suella Braverman has claimed £25,000 for her London home, while living rent free with her parents... what would you say about that? Robert Buckland(Tory MP) - I don't know the facts... but MPs should try & keep costs as low as possible. #BBCBreakfast pic.twitter.com/Epi1ggevOj
— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) April 3, 2023
Braverman’s expenses do not go against the rules, although she has been accused of taking advantage of a loophole in the system.
She earns £67,505 on top of her MP salary of £84,144 and told watchdogs she “fully funds” the home she stays at in Fareham, Hants.
However, she did not explain that the house is owned by her parents – meaning she stays there rent-free.
Former chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life Alistair Graham said: “This looks like an attempt to game the rules to maximise benefit. She says she ‘fully funds’ her constituency accommodation but does not reveal it is owned by her parents.
“Those are weasel words, she needs to explain what she means. Is she manipulating the rules to strengthen her household income?”
Elsewhere, LibDem chief whip and North East Fife MP Wendy Chamberlain added: “If these reports are true, this would seem difficult to justify. Even if it is within the rules, it isn’t within the spirit of the rules.
“It just shows how out of touch some Conservative MPs have become.”
A source close to Braverman refused to comment to the Mirror on whether or not she contributed to the cost of the house her parents own.
He did confirm that she does not pay them rent but that it was a “private matter” and would not say anything further.
He explained: “The Home Secretary has chosen to rent a property in her constituency for which she would be entitled to claim £17,000 a year, therefore saving the taxpayer money.
“Instead, when she became MP for Fareham, she and her family made a home in her constituency so she could stay there. She doesn’t claim a penny from the taxpayer on this home.”
The investigation showed that Braverman’s mileage suggests she spent an average of three nights a month in her constituency in the first half of the year.
A source added: “The Home Secretary has often travelled to Fareham without claiming mileage.”
The system was overhauled in 2010 after the expenses scandal. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority claims that “like the rest of us, MPs pay utility bills for their own homes” because “IPSA pays utility bills for non-London MPs when they stay away from home”.
They are able to claim for expenses “such as energy, utilities, internet and council tax”. The rules state: “MPs still need to fully fund the accommodation in one of the locations themselves.”
IPSA confirmed this is also available to MPs who stay for free with family or friends, meaning they can claim back on utility bills for their main or only home.
In 2020/21, it appears Braverman was able to claim £5154.57. The annual cap for “additional costs” was raised from £5480 to £5910 last year and is set to rise again to £6330.
The most recently published figures show Braverman is claiming roughly £630 a month.
What are the rules?
- MPs’ second homes are not seen as a luxury or a “perk”, but necessary for an MP to do their job.
- The IPSA Accommodation budget is there to ensure that MPs are not out of pocket from having to work in two locations, London and constituency
- It will cover associated costs for non-London MPs who own their second accommodation. This compensates for the additional costs of increased use such as energy, utilities, internet and council tax. It does not pay MPs mortgages or mortgage interests.
What has Braverman claimed for?
- May 2015: Braverman was elected MP for Fareham, Hampshire, and started claiming £995 a month in rent for a home in her constituency.
- March 2017: Braverman's parents buy Fareham house for £287,500 mortgage free. The family home in North London is registered as a House of Multiple Occupancy.
- Sept 2017: Braverman stopped rent in Fareham, started claiming costs of London flat, telling IPSA: “I fully fund accommodation in Fareham. I claim solely for bills associated with my London flat when in Westminster.”
- June 2019: Moved out of flat and rented it out. Flipped expenses from August to London house, believed to be that of husband Rael, who she married the previous year.
- She told IPSA: “I ceased to claim for the rental of my Fareham property in 2017 and claim solely for the utility bills associated with my London home. I do not claim for any costs at my Fareham home.”
- July 2020: Flipped her accommodation claim again to house in Bushey she bought with her husband for £1.2million. Stopped providing a commentary to IPSA. Continued to claim running costs on the home with the most recent bills published by IPSA for August 2022.
