Drive to get staff back to desks dropped as MPS told to work from home amid rail chaos

THE Commons spending watchdog has told MPS to work from home for the rest of this week “if at all possible” to avoid getting caught up in the train strikes chaos.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority said MPS should “consider carefully whether travel is necessary” and try to postpone meetings or move them online.

Ipsa added those who need to make trips will be able to claim extra cash for cabs and hotels.

Its advice comes after ministers insisted that MPS should set an example as they try to end the pandemic workfrom-home culture in the civil service.

Jacob Rees-mogg, the minister for government efficiency, has been leading a drive to get more Whitehall mandarins back to their desks.

In a guidance note sent out yesterday afternoon, IPSA said it was aware of “concern” among parliamentarians about the “impact” of the strikes.

“If you normally travel by train, we would advise that you should consider carefully whether travel is necessary during this week and whether planned events can be rescheduled, and that you work and hold meetings remotely if at all possible,” it said.

Rail staff are set to strike today, Thursday and Saturday in a row over pay, with huge disruption expected to last all week as a result.

Bosses at Ipsa – which pays and monitors MPS’ salaries and expenses – said parliamentarians who need to travel into work will be in line for extra cash for taxis and hotel stays.

MPS cannot ordinarily claim for the cost of their commute into Westminster and only those with constituencies outside Greater London get help funding a second home in the capital. But the spending watchdog said they will be able to apply for cash to cover “unavoidable” work journeys which incur “significant costs” as a result of the strikes.

These could include “a long taxi journey” but “approval will need to be based on the necessity of the journey, the level of cost and the alternatives considered”, it added.

Similarly, for those MPS whose constituencies are in outer London it will “consider requests for hotel accommodation to enable them to work from Westminster if this is required”.

IPSA said parliamentary aides will also be allowed to claim for overnight stays in the capital if the strikes mean they are unable to make it back home.

“Decisions on exceptional circumstances will be taken on a case-by-case basis, and as always we expect value for money to be a key consideration in decision-making”, it added.