Now Brexit means... an expenses increase for MPs
Expensive business this Brexit
MPs are calling for a rise in their allowances, claiming their workload has risen due to Brexit.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), the expenses watchdog, disclosed that it had received representations from MPs to raise their staffing budget.
Under current rules, MPs can claim £150,900 a year for staffing costs, rising to £161,550 in London, although they can apply for an increase.
But in its report on its annual survey of MPs published last month, Ipsa said some had said they still needed additional support.
"There were also requests to further increase MPs' staffing budgets due to their increasing workloads, some of which is the result of Brexit," it stated.
You may also want to watch:
Ipsa said that it had received 93 responses to the survey - nine from MPs, 33 from MP proxies who manage their business costs, and 51 from other staff members working for MPs.
It did not say how many had raised the issue of staffing costs.
Most Read
- 1 Poll: Laurence Fox in joint last place with Count Binface in race for London mayor
- 2 Government scraps Pick for Britain programme after Brits fill as few as 5% of roles
- 3 Brexit regret: Meet the Leave voters who wish they hadn't voted Leave
- 4 British fisherman expresses regret over Brexit vote on Danish TV
- 5 Opposition parties push for probe into Boris Johnson's conduct following viral video
- 6 Russell Kane: Why working class people like Boris Johnson
- 7 Ex-minister says Boris Johnson's government is a 'cesspit' where 'almost nobody' tells the truth
- 8 Boris Johnson still has questions to answer about Caribbean holiday
- 9 James Dyson moves main address back to the UK
- 10 Government to dissolve parliament ahead of Queen’s Speech
Sir Alistair Graham, a former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said Ipsa should be wary of acceding to demands for a rise.
He told The Daily Telegraph: "Brexit sounds like a rather convenient argument for increasing funding, Ipsa should be very cautious about raising budgets."
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
