SamBally
Dance with me until the sun rises!
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MPs forced to claim more on expenses as energy bills rocket and the cost of living increases.
The highest rate of inflation for 30 years will hit MPs hard as the expenses they have to claim skyrocket.
It’s a tough time to be an MP earning little more than £80k a year.
“If you’re worried about your rising household energy bills then just be grateful that you’re not an MP with an entire second home to pay for,” said Conservative MP Simon Williams.
“I don’t actually use my second home much – it’s more of an investment property – but I like to keep it constantly heated to avoid frozen pipes and suchlike.
“It’s going to cost the poor taxpayer an absolute fortune!
“Then we have rail fares rising by nearly 4%. Out of respect for the taxpayer, MPs may feel pressured to only book one first-class ticket when travelling and to put their briefcase in the overhead rack rather than in the seat next to them.
“Obviously we’ll still book two seats but we’ll certainly feel the pressure.
“Lending low-income households money to pay their bills will mean less cash is readily available to pay our expenses – this will further put MPs out of pocket as claims could take literally days to be processed.
“The worst thing about it is the sheer volume of paperwork. I’ll probably need to hire another assistant who can be dedicated to processing expense claims.
“Naturally, I’ll claim their salary on expenses but it’s still dreadfully inconvenient.”