Angela Rayner buys SECOND pair of AirPods with taxpayer money quickly repaying the cost
Angela Rayner used taxpayers money to purchase a second pair of expensive AirPods
Twitter/ Angela Rayner
Angela Rayner used taxpayers money to purchase a second pair of expensive AirPods before she swiftly repaid the cash.
The Deputy Labour Leader expensed the £139 earphones but when confronted about the claim, Commons authorities confirmed that a repayment was made.
The Ashton-under-Lyne MP was accused of "hypocrisy" in 2021 after claiming £249 for personalised Airpods, on top of more than £2,000 for other Apple kit.
On December 12, 2022 she put in another expenses claim titled "earphone for office" for the exact same retail price of 2nd Generation Apple AirPods.
The self-proclaimed value-for-taxpayers advocate was called out for "hypocrisy" in 2021 after claiming £249 for personalised Airpods
PA
Her office repeatedly did not deny the purchase was for Apple AirPods.
Rayner's claim was approved and the cash was paid back to the Labour MP.
Commons authorities confirmed that a repayment was made yesterday after The Sun approached Rayner's spokesperson.
They said: “These costs have been covered privately and Ipsa has been reimbursed accordingly.”
The Labour Party has repeatedly accused the Government for overspending and luxury travel.
Rayner accused Rishi Sunak of having "failed to rein in the culture of lavish spending across Whitehall" following a Labour study of ministerial spending on hotels, hospitality and other costs using taxpayer-funded debit cards.
She also said ministers were “living the high life and treating taxpayers like a cash machine” despite her own expenses claims.
A Tory source told The Sun: "Rayner's only paid the money back because she has had to face the music: putting expensive tech on the taxpayer and then trying to cover it up simply won’t wash.
The Labour Party have recently clamped down on the Government's overspending and luxury travel
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“Labour should take out their AirPods, and try listening to the British public for once."
Defending the first purchase of earphones earlier this year, Rayner said: "All of my equipment has to sync with each other so that I can carry out my work and people will understand that.
"I wouldn't say that it's luxury to have computer equipment that is everyday expenditure for somebody that works with computers every day for their job."