Labour minister Liz Kendall is urged to refund taxpayer cash used to warmth her second house – after axing £300 winter gasoline cost for thousands and thousands of pensioners
The Cabinet Minister responsible for slashing Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners last night faced calls to return money she claimed for her own energy bills from the taxpayer.
Liz Kendall, who lives in a £4million mansion in Notting Hill, west London, used £3,182 of public money to pay off energy costs for her second home in her constituency between April 2023 and July this year, as revealed by The Mail on Sunday.
At the same time, her decision to axe the annual winter fuel payment of between £100 and £300 for all but the poorest pensioners will force 100,000 people into poverty by 2027, according to an assessment by her own department.
She faced widespread condemnation last night from campaigners and MPs, with some calling for her to hand the money back.
Dennis Reed of Silver Voices, which represents senior citizens, said: ‘She should pay all that money back to a charity after the mess that her Department has caused.
‘It does strike me as extreme hypocrisy for the SoS [secretary of state] to be the one who is presiding over cuts in Winter Fuel for over ten million pensioners but at the same time, claiming from the taxpayer.
‘People will be quite rightly very angry about this because it is one rule for them, and one for the rest of us plebs.
‘It leaves a sour taste. Liz Kendall has not given us a face-to-face meeting to discuss what we can do to tide pensioners over – I’ve asked for an urgent meeting for over two weeks and I’ve not even had a response. This is an emergency situation – and this news makes me even more angry.’
Labour MP Liz Kendall is being urged to return taxpayers’ money used to heat her second constituency home in Leicester
Ms Kendall lives in a £4million mansion in Notting Hill, west London
Ms Kendall bought the three-storey London townhouse with financier James Ind (pictured) for £3.9 million in January 2021
Ms Kendall’s decision to claim the money was also branded hypocritical by MPs.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: ‘The hypocrisy of the Labour Government knows no bounds. I will not be claiming a penny in expenses for my heating.’
His party colleague Lee Anderson commented: ‘Whilst living in a £4million mansion in Notting Hill this Minister on over £160k a year is claiming hundreds of pounds of tax payers money to pay for energy costs in her constituency home.
‘This is on the back of her taking away the Winter Fuel Payment from 11million pensioners.
‘It was Liz Kendall and co that said up to 4,000 pensioners would die if the Winter Fuel Payment was taken away. These wicked Labour MPs should hang their heads in shame.’
Tory environment spokesman Victoria Atkins told GB News: ‘The fact is that the reason this is in the news is because of Labour’s decision to remove winter fuel payments from pensioners. That is the mischief…that’s why we forced the vote on Labour MPs, that’s the hypocrisy that we are focused on.’
Fellow Tory frontbencher David Simmonds added: ‘This revelation will be a kick in the teeth for the ten million pensioners facing choosing between heating and eating this Christmas because of Labour and Liz Kendall’s political choice to cut the winter fuel payment.
‘While Liz Kendall is living a life of luxury the country is facing real life consequences of Labour’s ill-thought-out decisions.’
A source close to the minister said last night: ‘The accommodation costs budget is designed to meet costs incurred by MPs as a result of working from two permanent locations. MPs of all parties are entitled to this, and they continue paying their utility bills for their own homes like everyone else.’
Ms Kendall is understood to have bought the three-storey London townhouse for £3.9million in January 2021.
The west London property boasts four bedrooms, four reception rooms and three bathrooms, with a magnificent gilt-framed painting and a large fireplace in the living room.
But Ms Kendall is not the only frontbencher using taxpayer cash to warm their homes.
In 2021-22, Chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed £382 for help towards paying the energy bills at her second home. This shot up to £1,186 last year.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed £382 towards paying the energy bills at her second home in 2021-22
Energy Secretary Ed Milliband’s claims also shot up from £650 to £1,100, while Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s surged from £1,052 to £1,896.
In total, 11 Cabinet ministers claimed £7,187 towards their gas and electricity bills in 2021-22, which soared to £12,620 for the first three-quarters of last year.
There is no suggestion that those who have made claims have broken any rules.
The Government announced in July that access’ winter fuel payments would be restricted to people claiming pension credit, with the aim of saving £1.5billion a year.
Of the 11.4million pensioners previously eligible, only 1.5million meet the new criteria.
