Stays in London hotels by Milton Keynes MP Iain Stewart cost taxpayers more than £20,000 in one year

City MP Iain Stewart has claimed around £20,000 in expenses for staying in London hotels, research shows.

Between June 2020 and March 2021, the Conservative MP submitted 26 different claims for hotel bills, with stays ranging from three to five nights each. The stays total 120 days - the equivalent of almost four months.

The expenses, which as marked simply as 'Accommodation Hotel - London', comprise Mr Stewart's entire accommodation budget.

He is MP for Milton Keynes South but also Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland. Despite the hotel stays, his total annual expenses claim was still lower than MK North's MP Ben Everitt.

The two MPs cost the taxpayer a combined sum of around £428,000 last year, with Mr Stewart's claims totaling around £182,000 and Mr Everitt's around £246,000.

Costs claimed by Mr Stewart were down slightly from the year before. He spent £159,200 on office running costs in 2020-21, including £141,100 on staff wages and £18,100 on other office expenditures.

On top of his £20,000 accommodation budget, he spent a further £2,600 on travel and subsistence.

Ben Everitt, who was elected in December 2019, spent £205,400 on office running costs in 2020-21, including £179,000 on staff wages and £26,500 on other office expenditures.

He lives in MK with his wife and children and he spent £37,400 of his accommodation budget, plus a further £3,100 on travel and subsistence.

The Citizen contacted Mr Stewart's Parliamentary Assistant on Tuesday to ask if the MP wanted to comment about his hotel stays. There has been no response.