A TORY MP has been slammed for using a member of his staff as a “political football”.
Lee Anderson, the Conservative MP for Ashfield, posted an image on Twitter of one of his staff where he outlined how they were able to save money and afford living in London.
It read: “Katy works for me. She is single & earns less than 30k, rents a room for £775pcm in Central London, has student debt, £120 a month on travelling to work, saves money every month, goes on foreign holidays & does not need to use a foodbank.
“Katy makes my point really well.”
Katy works for me. She is single & earns less than 30k, rents a room for £775pcm in Central London, has student debt, £120 a month on travelling to work saves money every month, goes on foreign holidays & does not need to use a foodbank. Katy makes my point really well. pic.twitter.com/8nrwTSQ4Qs
— Lee Anderson MP (@LeeAndersonMP_) January 19, 2023
The comment prompted fierce criticism from other MPs, including Liberal Democrat Jamie Stone who said: “I have never, and would never, use my staff as a political football.
“This is in seriously bad taste and is an awful way to admit that you don’t pay your staff enough.”
Others also scolded the Tory MP on Twitter, with journalist Owen Jones saying: “Lovely to meet Katy, now do the costs of someone who has two kids, who won’t – for a start – be renting a room for £775 per month in London.”
Another added: “Imagine your boss doing this to you” while somebody else simply said that “Katy should probably be paid more”.
One person questioned: “Is your point that you should be paying people better & that renting a single room for £775 is a disgrace?”
Anderson has previously sparked a backlash when he said that people only use foodbanks because they “can’t cook a meal from scratch” and “cannot budget”.
He also claimed he and a group of fellow MPs undertook a challenge with a local chef to feed a family of five for £50 a week.
The MP has previously been nicknamed "30p Lee" after he said that meals could be cooked for "about 30 pence a day".
It emerged earlier this year that Anderson claimed more than £15,500 more than the average MP in business expenses.
According to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the MP also claimed more than £219,000 in business costs which he said were to pay his staff’s wages.
An MP’s basic salary is £84,144.
