A Hampshire MP has defended claiming £1,260 in hotel expenses while working at the Houses of Commons – even though he rents out two flats in London.
Tory MP Desmond Swayne, who is David Cameron’s parliamentary aide, claims he is doing the taxpayer a favour by staying in budget hotels rather than living in his North Kensington apartment.
Campaigners, however, questioned why the taxpayer should pick up his hotel bills when he owns two flats in prime locations in the capital.
But Mr Swayne, the MP for New Forest West, told the Daily Echo he was doing nothing wrong.
He said: “I have a clear conscience. I have moved out and cut my costs and expenses in half.”
This, he says, is because if he stayed in his flat he would be claiming costly mortgage costs.
He had been claiming £711 in mortgage expenses each month until he moved out of his North Kensington flat in December last year.
Now his expenses for staying in London are just £28 a night, three nights a week after he struck a deal with a budget hotel. After the expenses system was reformed earlier this year it was decided to allow re-elected MPs to carry on claiming for mortgages until August 2012.
But Mr Swayne, pictured, said he felt that claiming mortgages interest was no longer acceptable and that was why he moved out of his apartment. He said: “So instead of staying in my property for 365 days a year I can stay in hotel accommodation for three nights a week.”
Asked why he rented his North Kensington flat, he said it was because of the depressed property market he can not sell it.
But a TaxPayers’|Alliance spokeswoman questioned whether Mr Swayne should be charging the taxpayer for his hotel bills when he can afford a property portfolio.
She said: “Despite a new system for MPs’ expenses it seems some members are not on board with the spirit of the changes.”
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