MPs can claim Christmas parties on expenses, says Ipsa

MPs will be able to claim the cost of their office Christmas party on parliamentary expenses under new rules.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) announced MPs can this year claim back money spent food, decorations and non-alcoholic drinks for an "office festive event".

MPs can also claim for a party in their constituency if it is "within a parliamentary context".

The move has been criticised by MPs from all sides of Parliament.

Former Brexit secretary David Davis called the rules "bonkers".

Speaking to TalkTV Mr Davis said the expenses watchdog had "missed the mood of the age".

Ipsa - the body responsible for paying MPs' expenses - revealed the costs incurred by MPs rose to £138.6m last year, driven mostly by rising staff costs.

The authority is funded by the Treasury, which is turn raises most of its funds through taxes.

In its bulletin last week, Ipsa urged politicians to make sure get-togethers "represent value for money, especially in the current economic climate". Parties cannot be used for self-promotion or party political reasons, under the new guidance.

The authority said it would also approve claims of money spent on sending cards to local residents. But MPs were explicitly told they cannot use their expenses for a festive or new year calendar, decorations outside their constituency offices, or spend taxpayers' money on alcohol.

Any Christmas cards claimed for must not be sent to "large groups or all constituents as there is a risk this may not represent value for money and could be considered self-promotional".

The Ipsa guidance said all claims for festive parties will published in the usual manner.

Releasing its most recent data, Ipsa's Chief Executive Ian Todd said: "We believe in providing transparency to the public, and for making sure that the information we publish is accessible and meaningful.

"The public should be assured that spending on MPs' business costs is compliant with our rules and helps MPs' staff around the country to work for their local communities."

Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds suggested the expenses watchdog had been a "little bit naive" putting out such guidance.

He told Times Radio: "People have not been asking for this. I don't think anyone will use it.

"Ipsa need to be a bit more savvy in terms of how they present what they're doing on this."

Labour frontbencher Jess Phillips - in a post on Twitter retweeted by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly - said Ipsa had been "irresponsible".

"Just want to say no-one asked for this, no-one I know will use it," she said.

"The guidance wasn't made by MPs and yet we will be pilloried for it. I think it's really irresponsible to issue this guidance as if MPs have been clamouring for it when I've literally never heard anyone do that."