A multi-millionaire Conservative MP who rents out his home in London has claimed £100,000 from taxpayers to help pay for a second home in the capital.
Sir Geoffrey Cox is one of five Tory MPs using what critics called a “loophole” in the expenses system to claim for their accommodation costs in London while renting out property they own elsewhere in the capital, The i Paper can reveal.
The claims are entirely within the rules however they may lead to scrutiny of MPs over the ethics of the practice. The former head of the body that advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards in public life said the claims raised issues of “fairness”.
New analysis shows Cox, the highest-paid MP in Parliament once outside earnings are included, has earned more than £4.6m from his second job as a lawyer since 2019.
Despite his income, the former Attorney General has claimed £96,000 from the taxpayer by putting his rent on expenses during the same period.
Cox’s current £2,250-a-month rent expense claim comes despite the fact he has received a regular rental income from a jointly-owned London flat since 2017.
The Victorian mansion block flat overlooking Battersea Park was bought by Sir Geoffrey and his wife for £535,000 back in 2004, Land Registry documents confirm. He receives at least £10,000 in rent per year. Though he does not need to declare the precise amount, the figure is likely to be much higher due to London’s rental market rates.
Cox was forced to apologise to Parliament’s standards watchdog in 2019 after he failed to declare thousands of pounds in rental income from the Battersea flat.
In 2016 the Tory MP apologised for a “serious breach” of the rules after failing to declare around £400,000 in outside earnings.
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Expenses rules allow MPs to claim for rent while letting out property elsewhere. But they are primarily aimed at helping politicians live and work in two parts of the country – in London and in their constituency.
The group of five landlord MPs – including one newly-elected Tory – are asking the taxpayer to fund their London rent despite owning property in the city which they rent out to others, according to Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) data.
The London rent claims made by senior MPs Sir John Whittingdale, Alberto Costa, and Mark Pritchard amount to £2,460 a month, £2,253 a month, and £3,500 a month respectively.
Charlie Dewhirst, elected as Conservative MP for Bridlington and the Wolds last year, has begun claiming £3,250 a month for rent in London.
All get rental income over £10,000 a year from property elsewhere in the capital but the data does not provide exact figures.
No Labour MPs currently claim expenses for accommodation in London while separately renting out property in the capital. However, there are several MPs who ask the taxpayer to pay for their rent, despite getting rental income from multiple properties they own elsewhere in the country.
Sir Alistair Graham, the former chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said parliamentary authorities should “close down the loophole” as soon as possible.
“It might be within the rules – but I don’t think it’s proper use of public funds,” said Sir Alistair.
“In ethical terms, the issue is straightforward. If you have your own accommodation [in London] you should carry out your duties using that, rather than making a charge on the public purse.”
Housing campaigners also called on IPSA, the body which organises MPs’ expenses, to close the “loophole”.
Jae Vail, spokesperson for the London Renters Union (LRU), said MPs were “cashing in as landlords while billing the taxpayer for their own rent”.
Vail added: “How can renters trust our politicians to stand up for our rights, when they are so willing to take advantage of loopholes like this? This loophole must be closed and MPs should pay for their homes with their considerable salaries.”
Tom Darling, director at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said it was “shocking” that all five of the landlord MPs recently voted against Labour’s renters’ rights bill, which will abolish “no fault” evictions.
Confirmation that the five landlord MPs’ rent claims relate to homes in London came from IPSA following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
None of the five MPs responded to requests for comment. However, a Conservative spokesman said the rent claims were “entirely within the rules”.
They added: “The real challenge facing renters is the Labour Government’s new regulations, which will reduce the private sector’s housing supply and lead to spiralling rents and drastically reduced choices for renters.”
IPSA rejected campaigners’ characterisation of the London rent claimed by MPs who own property in the city as a “loophole” in the rules.
A spokesperson said: “If an MP owns a property, wherever possible, IPSA expects them to stay in it.
“However, we are aware there are occasions where this may not be feasible: for example, if the property is too small to accommodate the MP’s own family,” they added.
“This is not a loophole, but a recognition of exceptional circumstances.”
However, IPSA has been considering possible rule changes when it comes to expenses. The body is expected to announce consultation results later in the spring.
IPSA’s consultation document acknowledged there were “risks of undue personal benefit” when the rules allow for MPs who own property “also use public funding for a parliamentary home in the same location”.
The expenses authority promises to “provide clearer definitions” on accommodation funding. “We believe this could be achieved by publishing a list of expectations that MPs should satisfy themselves they comply with before accessing funding from the accommodation budget.”
MPs had been able to claim for mortgage costs until 2010, when the expenses scandal led to a rule change aimed at stopping profits being made on the back of taxpayers’ money. Some MPs began letting out their properties and started claiming expenses for rent in the capital instead.
Landlord MPs ask taxpayer to pay their London rent
There are currently 32 landlord MPs who have claimed more than £1.8m from the taxpayer to cover their own rent payments since 2019, according to The i Paper’s analysis of IPSA data.
Some of the MPs ask the taxpayer to pay for their rent, despite getting rental income from multiple properties they own.
Gurinder Singh Josan, Labour MP for Smethwick in the West Midlands, gets rental income from five homes in Birmingham and Sandwell that he co-owns with family members.
The new MP, who won his seat in 2024, began claiming £2,650 a month in rent on expenses in November. Josan did not respond to requests for comment.
Bayo Alaba, who became the Labour MP for Southend East and Rochford in Essex in 2024, also has a small property empire.
Alaba gets rental income from seven properties in London which he co-owns with a family member. He began claiming his £1,050 monthly rent costs on expenses in September.
The MP said: “I have a family home in London which my wife and young family reside in. I moved to Southend in January 2024 fully, once I was selected. The rental payment you have mentioned is for my Southend constituency property.”
Asked if it was questionable for MPs with multiple properties to be claiming rent on expenses, Sir Alistair said: “Yes.”
The ex-standards chief said: “It means you are putting a commercial business [as a landlord] as your top priority, rather than organising your finances and assets to meet your public responsibility [as an MP].”
William Yarwood of the TaxPayers’ Alliance added: “While rents and house prices climb and many feel squeezed, MPs are sending the wrong message by claiming for rent costs while letting out properties themselves.”
Several landlord MPs with multiple properties defended their rent expense claims as necessary to work in two different parts of the country.
Richard Baker, Labour MP for Glenrothes and Mid-Fife, said he rented out a flat in Edinburgh and a flat in Aberdeen. He said his recent £2,400 rent claim, which included the deposit, was “for my accommodation in London for my parliamentary duties”.
A spokesperson for Rachel Taylor – the Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth who rents out two properties in the area – said she rents a £1,750-a-month home in London “to discharge her duties as an MP”.
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