MPs’ £63k on first class tickets – in just two months
Huge train trips cost for taxpayer
Luxury-loving politicians claimed £ 63,000 of first-class train tickets on expenses in two months.
Taxpayers footed the bill for top- f light journeys made by 115 MPs, figures from watchdog IPSA show.
SNP MPs Deidre Brock and Martyn Day claimed for the dearest single tickets – £ 385.17 for runs to London from Edinburgh and Fa l k i rk , respectively.
Tory Anne Marie Morris claimed the most back, with £ 2842 for 11 f irst- class trips between her constituency in Newton Abbot , south Devon, and London.
Each ticket averaged more than £ 285 – while standard fares for the journey can be £ 55 to
£ 75 when bought in advance.
Labour ’ s Sharon Hodgson took the most f irstclass trips with 21, totalling £ 2281, between London and Newcastle. Tor y Phi l ip Dav ies claimed for 18 journeys f rom Sh iple y, west Yorkshire, costing £1417. He charged taxpayers up to £144.17 for a single f irst- class trip when standard seats can cost £ 30. Typical f irst- class perks include comfier seats, free cuppas and biscuits and even hot meals.
The figures cover claims f i l e d la s t Oc tober and November but the trips may have been made in a different period.
IPSA gives detai ls of al l c l a ims by MPs u nd e r transparency rules set up af ter the 2009 expenses scanda l – but some in Parliament want to keep their perks under wraps.
At least nine MPs and staff said the releasing of claims data should stop, while others moaned “the publication of first- class train tickets was… unnecessary”, IPSA said.
The report added that some MPs were livid over guidance in December on what they could claim for during the festive period.
IPSA said it led to “negative media attention and public dissatisfaction”.
Morris, Brock, Hodgson, Day and Davies were contacted for comment.