No, MPs have not ‘given themselves’ £10,000 to work from home

In times of crisis, we all need someone to direct our anger at. There are some new candidates during this coronavirus epidemic: people who sit down in parks, people who panic bought toilet roll, and police officers threatening to check shopping baskets. But the old staples remain, and top of that list are the selfish, venal MPs who have just handed themselves £10,000 to work from home.

This sort of story proves the point of all those who believe that MPs are out of touch and in it for themselves. It does such a good job of proving that point that it’s too good a story to check. Which is just as well, because anyone bothering to check what’s actually going on will find the facts rather less convenient.

Here is what has really happened. On 19 March, Ipsa, the independent body which regulates MPs’ pay and expenses sent out a bulletin about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.