Tone-deaf MPs who claim their energy bills on expenses have been slammed for doing nothing to help ordinary folk cope with the cost of living crisis.
More than 400 MPs, including Tory leadership frontrunner Liz Truss, have claimed expenses for their heating bills on their second homes since 2019.
Disgraced former health secretary Matt Hancock, ex-energy minister George Freeman and senior Treasury ministers Simon Clarke and John Glen also claimed expenses for household energy.
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The revelation sparked fury on Twitter, with one angry customer saying: “All MPs should be made to pay their own utility bills, just like everyone else, They earn a good wage, why shouldn’t they? The poorest of the poor have to.”
(Image: PA)
But Commons leader Mark Spencer played down the scandal, and also said there were “bigger fish to fry” when asked if it was right that energy bosses are paid multi-million pound salaries.
He said: “In the context of things, actually, when there’s 65 million people in the country, it’s 30p, 20p, a person, so I think actually there are bigger fish to fry here, which we can try and solve the challenges than to have a pop at the chief exec’s salary.
“I think whilst it sometimes makes great politics, it actually doesn’t affect people’s bills, which we need to be focused on, in the autumn.”
(Image: Handout)
His comments came shortly before a ‘crisis talks’ meeting between Boris ‘Bozo’ Johnson and electricity bosses resulted in no action being taken.
The PM has appealed to electricity bosses to help ease the pressure as on hard-pressed families amid a dire new warning energy bills could top £5,000 by the spring.
Representatives of major electricity companies arrived in Downing Street for crisis talks as analyst, Auxilione, said regulator Ofgem could be forced to raise the price cap for the average household to £5,038 from next April.
(Image: Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)
However the meeting failed to produce any immediate concrete help for struggling consumers, with Bozo acknowledging any “significant fiscal decisions” would be be a matter for his successor.
The lack of any concrete action or commitment for new support has sparked outrage from MPs.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “It is appalling that the Conservatives still haven’t announced any extra support for families and pensioners facing the hardest winter in decades.”
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SNP treasury spokeswoman Alison Thewliss said the Government in Westminster had demonstrated a “total abdication of leadership” as families continued to suffer.
She said: “Families need help right now.
“They can’t afford to wait while this zombie UK government is stuck in a state of paralysis, refusing to do anything until the Tory leadership contest is over.”
(Image: Richard Townshend Photography)
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Dame Margaret Hodge, Labour MP for Barking, seemed surprised that Bozo had even bothered to go.
She tweeted: “The Prime Minister has shocked the nation today by actually turning up to work. This meeting should have taken place weeks ago.”
Ms Truss, Mr Hancock, Mr Freeman, Mr Clarke and Mr Glen have been contacted for comment.
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