Suella Braverman has been accused of exploiting the system by claiming taxpayer's money to cover her household bills - while millions of Brits struggle afford their own.
The Home Secretary claimed almost £25,000 in expenses over five years to pay for her energy usage and other costs, while living rent-free at her parent's house during visits to her constituency.
Such financial aids were created to prevent MPs who live outside of London from falling into debt while running two homes, however an investigation by the Mirror found that Ms Braverman uses them to cover the household bills on her £1.2million family home in Bushey, Herts.
Although her expenses do not go against the rules, the hardline Tory has been accused of taking advantage of loophole in the system.
Ms Braverman, who earns £67,505 on top of her MP salary of £84,144, told watchdogs she “fully funds” the home she stays at in Fareham, Hants. However, she failed to explain that the house is actually her parents - meaning she stays there rent-free.
Former Committee on Standards in Public Life chairman Sir 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? It has the smell of a conspiracy to do that.”
Lib Dem Chief Whip 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 Ms Braverman refused to comment on whether or not she contributed to the costs of the house her parents Uma and Christie own. He did confirm that she does not pay them rent, but said it was a 'private matter' and would not say anything further.
He added: “The Home Secretary has chosen not 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.”
Braverman’s mileage claims suggest she spent an average of three nights a month in her constituency in the first half of last year. However, a source said: “The Home Secretary has often travelled to Fareham without claiming mileage.”
The system was overhauled in 2010 following the expenses scandal. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority claims “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 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. Therefore, Ms Braverman can claim bills, which average roughly £500 a month, at the house she stays in with her husband Rael and their two children in Hertfordshire, which she can commute to the Commons from.
In 2020/2021 it appears she was able to claim £5,154.57 - almost all her bills. The annual cap for “additional costs” was increased last year from £5,480 to £5,910 and is set to rise again next year to £6,330. The most recently published expenses claims for last summer show Ms Braverman is claiming roughly £630 a month.
She is on track to reach the maximum before the end of the year, which would still mean that roughly 80% of her household bills this year could be funded by the taxpayer. Since November 2017, she has claimed up to £5,500 a year on a flat in Pimlico, Central London, then a house, also in the capital, believed to be Rael’s and the Bushey place.
Ms Braverman, who has made it her mission to deport asylum seekers in the UK, has also vowed to crack down on the benefits “culture”.
The Rules
- MPs’ second homes are not considered a luxury or a “perk”, they are necessary for an MP to carry out their role.
- The IPSA Accommodation budget is there to ensure that MPs do not struggle financially from having to work in two locations, London and constituency.
- The budget is also available to 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. We do not pay MPs mortgages or mortgage interest.
What Suella Braverman has claimed
May 2015: After Braverman was elected MP for Fareham, Hampshire, she started claiming £995 a month in rent for a home in her constituency.
March 2017: Parents Uma and Christie Fernandes buy Fareham house for £287,500, mortgage free. 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. 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.
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