Following incorrect press reports about Members of Parliament being personally paid an extra £10,000, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: "It is wrong to characterise this extra £10,000 allocated by IPSA as MPs giving themselves additional funds. On the contrary, this money is used to enable MPs' staff to set up home working to support distressed constituents at a time of crisis. Many MPs have seen their casework soar as a direct result of coronavirus.
“Enabling staff to work remotely is the best and the safest way for them - and the constituents they are in contact with - to communicate and work together during these difficult times. The additional budget is there to draw down on if it is needed and required - and it will have to be accounted for in the usual way."
James Sunderland added;
‘I was dismayed to read the media reports over the weekend that MPs had been granted an additional £10,000 of ‘expenses’ for working from home. Whilst the Speaker’s statement goes some way to rectifying what is little more than sensationalist reporting, I wish to offer a personal perspective. To be clear, this money has not been physically allocated. It is simply a pot of money that MPs and their teams can call upon if they need additional funding whilst working remotely. An annual budget is allocated for all MPs to claim reasonable office expenses incurred in fulfilling their responsibilities, but none of this is attributable to working from home or for the unique conditions imposed by Coronavirus. For what it’s worth, I have no intention of claiming for additional equipment as I and my team already have what is needed – This will be the same for most other MPs too. So to reassure you if I may, the £10,000 notionally allocated for me will be staying right where it is – In the Treasury.’
