Tory who said people can't cook or budget claimed £222,000 in expenses in a single year

The Conservative MP who claimed that people who use food banks “cannot cook properly” and “cannot budget” claimed hundreds of thousands in expenses in 2020/21, including £4,100 on travel and 'subsistence'.

It comes as Lee Anderson defended his comments on food banks after hitting out at “generation after generation who cannot cook properly” in the commons.

The MP for Ashfield invited “everybody” on the opposition benches in the Commons to visit a food bank in his Nottinghamshire constituency where people now need to register for a “budgeting course” and a “cooking course” when they come for a food parcel.

The comments were widely criticised but it didn’t stop Anderson hitting back at the reporting of his comments.

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Now, as the Daily Mail reports, it’s come to people's attention that the MP claimed almost £222,000 in business expenses in the space of 12 months.

The 55-year-old, who earns £84,144 a year as an MP, claimed £219,703.44 as business costs from 2020 to 2021, which is higher than the average £203,880 claimed by MPs for office, staffing, accommodation, travel and subsistence claims.

Journalist Liam Thorp was one of the people to post about the expenses on social media, writing: “Lee Anderson MP, who today said poor people forced to use foodbanks 'cannot cook or budget properly' claimed £222,000 in expenses in 2020/21 - including £4,100 on travel and 'subsistence’. This was some way higher than the average MP expense claim.”

Anderson hit back at the reporting of his comments, writing on Facebook: “Gutter Press Again.

“I did not say poor people cannot cook or there is no need for food banks. I said there is not the need currently being parrotted out by the MSM (mainstream media).

“Today I challenged the whole Parliamentary Labour Party to come to Ashfield to visit the food bank I work with. The give food parcels away on the condition the enrole for cooking and budgeting lessons.

“I have done several events at the foodbank where we batch cooked food on a budget. My offer stands. Come to Ashfield.”

In response to his initial comments, the Child Poverty Action Group claimed politicians “would do better to back real-world solutions, like bringing benefits in line with inflation this autumn” and the Trussell Trust charity insisted “cooking meals from scratch won’t help families keep the lights on or put food on the table, if they don’t have enough money in their pockets”.

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