BY JACK MONROE.
177 of the MPs that voted YES to the Bedroom Tax on Tuesday evening, claimed up to £25k EACH in their own “spare bedroom” expenses.
One of the highest claims, Nigel Adams whopping £25k in 2012-13, could pay the Bedroom Tax for up to 30 families in his constituency for a whole year.
Richard Bacon’s constituency is a three hour commute from the House of Commons, yet his accommodation expenses bill averages £450 a week.
Stephen Barclay’s constituency in Cambridgeshire is less than two hours away – and he has the fifth highest claim on the list at over £24,000 last year.
THE WORST OFFENDERS:
Nigel Adams (CON, Selby and Ainsty). Claimed £25,309 in accommodation expenses. Voted YES to the Bedroom Tax.
Richard Bacon (CON, South Norfolk). Claimed £25,094 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
Karen Bradley (CON, Staffordshire Moorlands). Claimed £24,849 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
Jenny Willott (LIB DEM, Cardiff Central). Claimed £24,446 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
Stephen Barclay (CON, North East Cambridgeshire). Claimed £24,226 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
John Hayes (CON, South Holland and The Deepings). Claimed £23,757 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
David Morris (CON, Morecambe and Lunesdale). Claimed £23,702 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
Daniel Poulter (CON, Central Suffolk and North Ipswich). Claimed £24,387 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
Hugh Robertson (CON, Faversham and Mid Kent). Claimed £23,240 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
Malcolm Bruce (LD, Gordon). Claimed £23,057 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
Julian Sturdy (CON, York Outer). Claimed £22,936 in accommodation expenses. Voted FOR the bedroom tax.
Yes, they might claim that their vast hotel bills are for ‘exceptional circumstances’ – yet refuse to take into account the ‘exceptional circumstances’ of the 420,000 disabled people losing around £16 a week as a result of the Bedroom Tax.
Exceptional circumstances that led Melissa Jones to overdose on sleeping pills. Exceptional circumstances that have Donna Macey considering suicide as the only way out of bedroom tax arrears. Exceptional circumstances that led pensioner Charles Barden to take his own life over fears that he could not pay the bedroom tax. Exceptional circumstances that mean that a bedroom specially designed for seriously disabled Warren to hold the specialist hoists, chairs and equipment that he needs, is now costing his grandparents their health and home. Exceptional circumstances that left Stephanie Bottrill under a lorry on the M6. These are exceptional circumstances.
But Nigel Adams, Richard Bacon et al have their “exceptional circumstances” funded by the taxpayer. The Melissas and Warrens and Stephanies are barely taken into account.
Read this list and ask yourself who the REAL scroungers are:
Accommodation claims over £25k:
Richard Bacon (CON)
Nigel Adams (CON)
Accommodation claims up to £25k:
Karen Bradley (CON)
Stephen Barclay (CON)
John Hayes (CON)
David Morris (CON)
Daniel Poulter (CON)
Hugh Robertson (CON)
Malcolm Bruce (LD)
Julian Sturdy (CON)
Robert Syms (CON)
Mark Garnier (CON)
Tobias Elwood (CON)
Penny Mordaunt (CON)
Ian Liddell-Grainger (CON)
Mark Pritchard (CON)
Andrew Bingham (CON)
Chris Heaton-Harris (CON)
Glyn Davies (CON)
Stephen Williams (LD)
John Glen (CON)
Tracey Crouch (CON)
Mark Lancaster (CON)
Heather Wheeler (CON)
David Rutley (CON)
Sarah Wollaston (CON)
Philip Davies (CON)
Nicky Morgan (CON)
Andrew Turner (CON)
Mark Menzies (CON)
Damian Collins (CON)
Anna Soubry (CON)
Peter Luff (CON)
Esther McVey (CON)
Peter Tapsell (CON)
Andrew Tyrie (CON)
Bill Cash (CON)
Jenny Willott (LD)
Accommodation claims up to £20k:
James Wharton (CON)
Sheryll Murray (CON)
Alistair Bert (CON)
David Tredinnick (CON)
Alec Shellbrooke (CON)
Robert Goodwill (CON)
Jessica Lee (CON)
Michael Ellis (CON)
Philip Lee (CON)
Stephen Dorrell (CON)
Don Foster (LD)
Steve Brine (CON)
Martin Horwood (LD)
Neil Parrish (CON)
Kris Hopkins (CON)
David Jones (CON)
Chris White (CON)
Chris Kelly (CON)
Greg Clark (CON)
Graham Stuart (CON)
Mark Hunter (LD)
John Howell (CON)
David Heath (LD)
John Thurso (LD)
Marcus Jones (CON)
Therese Coffey (CON)
Greg Knight (CON)
Chris Skidmore (CON)
Steve Webb (LD)
Conor Burns (CON)
Richard Fuller (CON)
Norman Baker (LD)
Gavin Williamson (CON)
Gary Streeter (CON)
Nigel Evans (IND)
Ben Wallace (CON)
Laurence Robertson (CON)
Peter Aldous (CON)
Graham Evans (CON)
Brian Binley (CON)
Peter Bone (CON)
Caroline Dinenage (CON)
Caroline Nokes (CON)
Nick Harvey (LD)
Jeremy Wright (CON)
James Paice (CON)
Helen Grant (CON)
David Nuttall (CON)
Keith Simpson (CON)
David Mundell (CON)
Simon Reevell (CON)
Stephen Gilbert (LD)
John Pugh (LD)
Martin Vickers (CON)
Simon Hart (CON)
John Whittingdale (CON)
Matthew Hancock (CON)
David Davies (CON)
Andrew Griffiths (CON)
Jonathan Evans (CON)
Accommodation claims up to £15k:
Ben Gummer (CON)
Maria Miller (CON)
Stephen Crabb (CON)
James Gray (CON)
John Stevenson (CON)
Robert Smith (LD)
Stephen Moseley (CON)
Jack Lopresti (CON)
Tim Yeo (CON)
Tessa Munt (LD)
James Arbuthnot (CON)
Douglas Carswell (CON)
Andrew Bridgen (CON)
Michael Moore (LD)
Lorely Burt (LD)
Paul Uppal (CON)
Alan Beith (LD)
Dan Rogerson (LD)
Charles Hendry (CON)
Stephen O’Brien (CON)
Norman Lamb (LD)
Edward Garnier (CON)
Duncan Hames (LD)
Menzies Campbell (LD)
Alistair Carmichael (LD)
Paul Maynard (CON)
David Lidington (CON)
Justin Tomlinson (CON)
Jo Swinson (LD)
Pauline Latham (CON)
Iain Stewart (CON)
Amber Rudd (CON)
Mel Stride (CON)
Francis Maude (CON)
Anne McIntosh (CON)
Andrew Lansley (CON)
Geoffrey Cox (CON)
Guy Opperman (CON)
David Ruffley (CON)
Nigel Mills (CON)
Stewart Jackson (CON)
Elizabeth Truss (CON)
Henry Bellingham (CON)
Brandon Lewis (CON)
Graham Brady (CON)
Jason McCartney (CON)
John Redwood (CON)
Andrew Stephenson (CON)
Edward Vaizey (CON)
Julian Lewis (CON)
Gerald Howarth (CON)
George Young (CON)
Mark Harper (CON)
Damian Hinds (CON)
Cheryl Gillan (CON)
Accommodation claims up to £5k:
Brooks Newmark (CON)
Nicholas Soames (CON)
Desmond Swayne (CON)
Oliver Heald (CON)
Oliver Colvile (CON)
Bill Wiggin (CON)
Christopher Chope (CON)
Jeremy Hunt (CON)
Andrew Stunell (LD)
Stephen Phillips (CON)
Andrew Jones (CON)
Richard Shepherd (CON)
Simon Burns (CON)
Andrew Murrison (CON)
George Eustice (CON)
David Mowat (CON)
Bernard Jenkin (CON)
Please share this link as widely as you can, on Twitter, on Facebook – we the public HOLD THESE PEOPLE TO ACCOUNT and it’s about time we did exactly that.
If your MP is listed here, you can contact them directly at http://www.theyworkforyou.com – maybe ask them to explain how they can justify cutting £16 a week from the disabled, the vulnerable, the elderly, the poorest members of our society – but claim up to £450 a week for their own “spare bedrooms”?
Jack Monroe. Twitter: @MsJackMonroe