New expenses scandal after ‘penny-pinching' Lib Dem MP makes YOU pick up £154 bill for her Christmas party
AN MP has sparked a fresh expenses scandal after making taxpayers pick up the bill for her Christmas party.
Lib Dem Sarah Gibson took her team out to a restaurant for the festive dinner — before submitting an invoice for £154.
It was approved and paid by the expenses watchdog IPSA, but appears to be in breach of the rules, the Taxpayers' Alliance revealed.
Head of campaigns Elliot Keck said: 'Taxpayers are sick of these penny-pinching politicians tapping them up for a cost they should be bearing themselves.
'This MP in particular gets access to a second home with bills and council tax all covered, yet she can't even pick up the tab for a meal to thank her staff.'
Ms Gibson, 59, who represents Chippenham, Wilts, said: 'As a small business owner for many years I have been used to taking my staff for a Christmas meal to thank them for their hard work.
'Though this claim for a modest meal for my team, who were all in London for work purposes, was permitted by IPSA I do accept in retrospect that as an MP the situation is different.'
The expense claim read: 'Team Christmas dinner to say thank you for everyone's hard work since July, removing alcohol and service charge.'
IPSA rules state hospitality costs for a team meal out at a pub or restaurant are not claimable.
MPs can claim the costs of food and refreshments for an office festive gathering — allowed as hospitality.
But 'any event or gathering must be explicitly within a parliamentary and work context'.
It comes after The Sun on Sunday revealed Labour MP Taiwo Owatemi claimed expenses for 'pet rent' for her cockapoo in London.
Nigel Farage's 'fantasy' promises will trigger Truss-style meltdown, Keir Starmer slams
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
2
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
More than nine of out ten of the Tory rank-and-file want Kemi Badenoch to purge 'wets' from the party in order to meet the challenge of Nigel Farage and Reform UK
More than nine out of ten Tory supporters want Kemi Badenoch to mount a purge of 'wets' in the Tory party in order to meet the challenge of Nigel Farage, new polling has found. According to a survey by the Popular Conservatism group, known as PopCon, 92 per cent of Conservative members and voters agree that there should be a 'big shake-up' in the party, including 'getting rid of the wets who aren't really Conservative' and 'getting rid of the MPs who are big state, pro-EU and arrogantly elitist'. The poll offers support for Ms Badenoch, with 93 per cent agreeing with her vow to abandon Net Zero targets. A total of 91 per cent want to quit the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), while 89 per cent want to reverse Sir Keir Starmer 's EU deal. Despite the party languishing in the polls, Ms Badenoch receives backing for her approach. However, 42 per cent of her supporters want her to establish a formal relationship with Reform. Separate polling published today by Lord Ashcroft in The Mail on Sunday reveals that voters do not think Sir Keir is sincere when he promises to cut immigration.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
MARK LITTLEWOOD: A full-blooded agenda can help revive the Tory Party's fortunes - but we must act fast
These are tough times for the Tory party. The Conservatives are struggling to get 'cut-through' in the national media and in the public debate. Because of the party's lowly poll ratings, such coverage as there is tends to focus on whether the Tories are minded to embark upon yet another leadership election. Some ask whether the party can survive at all. Good news for Kemi Badenoch has been thin on the ground. But she can draw some real comfort this weekend from a survey conducted by my grassroots organisation, Popular Conservatism. We asked hundreds of rank-and-file Tories how the party should seek to get back on its feet and how it should rebuild. Tory supporters are not overwhelmed with unalloyed hope and optimism – they would be delusional if they were. A vast majority thought last month's local election results were as bad as to be expected, or even worse. A good chunk of those surveyed are tempted by Reform and think Nigel Farage will be the next prime minister. On Kemi herself, 60 per cent think she is doing something from a reasonable to an excellent job in what have obviously been difficult circumstances. On policy and strategy, the messages they sent back are pretty clear. They expect a full overhaul of Tory party headquarters and more powers given over to the membership – rather than central office parachuting favoured sons and daughters into desirable seats. But it's on policy where Kemi should take the most heart. She has already pivoted away from the 2050 carbon Net Zero commitment and 93 per cent agree with her. She has now opened an internal commission into whether the UK should withdraw from the ECHR – 91 per cent think we should. There is also overwhelming support for slashing back quangos (95 per cent) and dramatically reducing the size of the Civil Service (93 per cent). Scrapping the Supreme Court (78 per cent), abolishing the Equality Act (76 per cent) and curtailing the independence of the Bank of England (79 per cent) also curry significant favour. Taken together, these measures could add up to the sort of full-blooded agenda that Tory members think could revive the party's fortunes. And they want it rolled out fast, with 86 per cent demanding that policy positions be adopted more rapidly than has been the case thus far. Tory members don't seem to think that Kemi is facing the wrong way, they just want her to run, rather than walk, in the direction she has set.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Labour at war over spending plans as Number 10 tries to stem threat from Farage
Sir Keir Starmer is fighting to quell mounting Labour tensions over how to deal with the threat from Nigel Farage, as bitter Whitehall negotiations over the Government's Spending Review go down to the wire. Sources describe 'very unpleasant' exchanges between Rachel Reeves and senior Cabinet ministers, including Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner, as the Chancellor prepares to give the NHS a £30billion boost at the expense of the police and local councils. Preparations for Wednesday's announcement have been held against the backdrop of slamming doors and raised voices, as No 10 and the Treasury work out how to divide a limited pot of public money in a way most likely to arrest the surge in support for Mr Farage's Reform UK. Ms Reeves is expected to set out plans for an extra £113billion in spending on infrastructure projects such as Sizewell C nuclear power plant, and an extra 2.8 per cent real-terms increase in the NHS's £200billion-a-year budget, amounting to an extra £30billion by 2028. But with the economy barely growing, other departments have had to take a hit as a result. A source said: 'It turned nasty between Yvette and Rachel. It was just as bad as that between Rachel and Angela, who walked out during her negotiations. 'Yvette was just passing on the concerns of the police, who said that without more money they would be forced to make stark choices about which crimes they prioritise. 'The anger of the police shows they've been briefed by Cooper on how the negotiations are going, and they're not happy.' Reeves plotting £3bn tax raid on pension By CALUM MUIRHEAD Rachel Reeves is planning a £3billion tax raid on millions of pensions. The new Pension Schemes Bill lays out a blueprint for companies to take out 'surplus' cash from certain schemes. The theory behind the plan is that companies can use the money to invest in their business and that would fuel growth. But experts fear this could lead to a repeat of the Robert Maxwell scandal of the early 1990s, when the late tycoon stole £400 million from his staff pension fund to prop up his companies. The Chancellor, who is desperate to raise tax revenues, would benefit because any 'surpluses' released are taxed at 25 per cent, which could raise almost £3billion over a decade. The bill, tabled in Parliament last week, will affect old-style pension schemes where retirement incomes are linked to people's pay packets, which have around nine million members. A minister said: 'The negotiations over the final settlements are still not sorted for some departments. They're going to carry on fighting it out over the weekend.' Another source added: 'Rachel will stand up and promise things she can't deliver. There will be a lot of guff about how she will deliver security for the country. 'But how can you promise to deliver security when Trump's doing what he's doing on tariffs and Putin is so active?' At the heart of the schism is an ideological divide between the party's Blairites, represented in No 10 by Liz Lloyd, Sir Keir's head of policy delivery, and Morgan McSweeney, the Downing Street chief of staff. Mr McSweeney is desperate to tackle small boats migration while Ms Lloyd is encouraging spending more on the NHS. Rachel Reeves is planning a £3billion tax raid on millions of pensions. The new Pension Schemes Bill lays out a blueprint for companies to take out 'surplus' cash from certain schemes. The theory behind the plan is that companies can use the money to invest in their business and that would fuel growth. But experts fear this could lead to a repeat of the Robert Maxwell scandal of the early 1990s, when the late tycoon stole £400 million from his staff pension fund to prop up his companies. The Chancellor, who is desperate to raise tax revenues, would benefit because any 'surpluses' released are taxed at 25 per cent, which could raise almost £3billion over a decade. The bill, tabled in Parliament last week, will affect old-style pension schemes where retirement incomes are linked to people's pay packets, which have around nine million members.
