Labour spends taxpayer money to rent union offices

Luciana Berger rents an office in her Liverpool constituency from UCATT
Luciana Berger rents an office in her Liverpool constituency from UCATT
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER BETHANY CLARKE

Two Labour frontbenchers use taxpayers’ money to rent constituency offices from unions that have made donations to their local parties.

Owen Smith, Shadow Secretary for Wales, and Luciana Berger, Shadow Minister for Public Health, are among Labour MPs who claim parliamentary expenses for renting office accommodation from unions.

MPs from all parties are braced for accusations of “backdoor” funding of political activity when their rental agreements are published for the first time next month.

Renting an office from a local party or union is permitted under the rules as long as MPs can provide an independent valuation proving that the rent has been set at a fair level.

Critics say that the system is open to abuse, however. Senior Labour figures acknowledge renting from unions