Some MPs have stopped claiming for their energy bills or are weighing up their decision after a backlash to the winter fuel payment cut
Thirty-six current Labour ministers – including the Chancellor Rachel Reeves – have claimed for their gas and electricity costs on expenses, according to analysis.
Fuel poverty campaigners said the expenses claims do not “pass the smell test” and showed that politicians were shielded from the struggles faced by many voters. The energy price cap will increase in January, with the average household paying £1,738 a year.The bill for 271 MPs’ energy costs at second homes rose to £293,000 in 2023-24, according to analysis of Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority data. The average claim was for £1,080.
In total, 36 current Labour ministers have charged just over £33,000 for their fuel costs over 2023-24.since 2019, with her taxpayer-funded gas and electricity amounting to £8,175 since the start of the last Parliament – including £931 for 2024-25. At present, they are able to stay with a family member in London, so they do not need to expense energy bills. They added: “In the future, I might , and I’d make a decision then whether it’s necessary.”
However, the Conservatives’ shadow culture secretary Stuart Andrew – who has claimed £4,398 for energy bills since 2019 – said he had decided not to claim for any gas and electricity costs this winter. But he said MPs should not be penalised for claiming their rent and expenses as “not everyone is in the financial position to afford two homes”.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said senior politicians were “shielded and insulated” from the reality faced by some this winter, such as living in a cold home. Ruth London, spokesperson for campaign group Fuel Poverty Action, said the rising cost of subsiding energy bills for MPs “adds insult to injury” after the loss of universal winter fuel payments.
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