Private donors including gambling firms and climate sceptics are bankrolling MPs’ staff and offices, handing over more than £1m in just one year, openDemocracy can reveal.
Other donors include banks, property firms and evangelical Christians, leading anti-corruption campaigners to warn of “major conflicts of interest” in “giving certain interest groups privileged access to influential MPs”.
The wages of staff employed by MPs are normally paid via the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), which regulates expenses and business costs. But private companies and wealthy individuals can fund additional staff, helping MPs to expand their teams and build their public profile.
