Cabinet ministers in Sir Keir Starmer's government have been labelled 'hypocrites' after analysis revealed they claimed almost £60,000 in expenses for their petrol bills, while simultaneously refusing to help motorists by scrapping an upcoming fuel duty hike.
Substantial Taxpayer-Funded Claims
Eleven members of Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet have relied on taxpayer-funded subsidies to operate their vehicles over the past three years, according to a detailed examination of expenses receipts. Collectively, these ministers claimed £58,589 in 'car mileage' allowances, with some individual claims exceeding £8,000.
Top Claimants Revealed
The highest claimant was Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, who received £8,766. He was closely followed by Wales Secretary Jo Stevens with £8,724 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Jonathan Reynolds, who claimed £8,717. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood claimed £7,837, while Defence Secretary John Healey received £6,412. Sir Keir's Chief Secretary, Darren Jones, claimed nearly £6,000.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has championed the fuel duty increase, claimed just over £2,000 toward her own petrol bills through the expenses system. Additionally, Cabinet ministers claimed an extra £7,000 for parking and congestion charges, further adding to the taxpayer burden.
Fuel Duty Controversy
The controversy intensifies as Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuse to cancel a planned 5p per litre fuel duty increase scheduled for September. This levy rise will add approximately £3 to the cost of filling an average family car's tank, placing additional financial pressure on ordinary motorists already struggling with high living costs.
Critics Voice Outrage
John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, expressed growing public frustration: 'Taxpayers are growing increasingly impatient at the way MPs are shielded from hardships. Whether it's council tax, inflation and now the price of petrol, politicians are often able to avoid rising costs, even when they are directly to blame.'
Howard Cox of the FairFuelUK campaign was more blunt in his assessment: 'While us plebs have no choice but to pay fuel duty, VAT, congestion and parking charges to go to work, these political careerists expect everything surrounding their £98,000-salaried lifestyle to be picked up by those who put them into Westminster. It's not a good look. It stinks of hypocrisy.'
Defence and Rules Compliance
There is no suggestion that any of the ministers who made claims have broken parliamentary rules. A Labour Party spokesman stated: 'All claims are made in line with Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority rules.'
However, critics argue that while the claims may be technically permissible, they create a perception problem for a government that is implementing policies increasing costs for ordinary citizens while benefiting from taxpayer-funded subsidies for their own transportation.
The revelation comes at a sensitive time for the Labour government, which faces mounting pressure to address cost-of-living concerns while managing public perceptions of ministerial privilege and accountability.
