Tory MP claiming taxpayers money for rent while owning a plush flat in Battersea

Conservative MP, Geoffrey Cox, is claiming £22,000 a year in taxpayer funding to rent a London flat while earning money on a property in Battersea that he rents out.

The revelation comes hot on the heels of a discovery that he stands to make £1 million representing the British Virgin Islands while making £81,000 a year as an MP, raising questions about sleaze within the Conservative party.

As MP for Torridge and West Devon he is entitled to claim accommodation costs for staying in the capital.

However, the former attorney general makes thousands of pounds in rent for letting a luxurious mansion block flat, where he had previously been living.

The flat was purchased with his wife Jean in 2004 for £535,000 according to Land Registry records.

His declaration in the Register of Members' Interests showed that from November 2017 he was earning more than £10,000 a year renting out the property.

According to his submission to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) up until 2017 he was claiming £8,000 and £9,000 a year in associated costs (utility bills and service charges) on the property he owned.

However in 2018 his claims rose to £22,000 year after he moved into a rented property.

This arrangement is permitted under Ipsa rules, while controversial.

Ipsa said: "We recognise that there can be a perception of personal gain if an MP receives rental income from their own property while living in an Ipsa-funded flat.

"However, our view has not changed that an MP's personal financial situation is not a relevant 'test' for whether they should receive support from Ipsa."

A spokesperson for the MP said: "Sir Geoffrey has acted at all times within the rules set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority."

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