Teesside & County Durham MPs Claim Over £770,000 in Staffing and Travel – Here’s the Breakdown...
- teessidetoday
- Nov 24
- 3 min read
Revealed: The True Cost of Labour’s MPs – Staffing & Travel Expenses Exposed..
24th November 2025
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has released the latest round of MPs’ expenses, shedding light on how much MP's are claiming for staffing, travel, and dependent costs. With the Labour Government promising “transparency and value for money,” these figures raise serious questions about how taxpayer funds are being used across Teesside and County Durham.
Below is a breakdown of the most recent claims from our region’s Labour MPs.
Jonathan Brash – Labour MP for Hartlepool
Staffing: £114,030
Dependent Travel: £549.58
Hartlepool’s newest MP, Jonathan Brash, has claimed just over £114k for staffing alone. While this is lower than some of his regional Labour colleagues, Brash is also claiming nearly £550 in dependent travel — a cost paid by the taxpayer so family members can accompany an MP on official duties.
Given Labour’s talk of “tightening the purse strings,” residents may question why dependent travel is necessary at all, especially during a cost-of-living crisis and frozen local council budgets.
Andy McDonald – Labour MP for Middlesbrough & Thornaby East
Staffing: £238,312
Dependent Travel: £835.12
Andy McDonald’s staffing bill is one of the highest in the region at £238k, more than double the cost claimed by Jonathan Brash. He also claimed £835 in dependent travel.
McDonald has built a reputation as one of Labour’s most outspoken MPs, but the scale of his expenses raises eyebrows — particularly at a time when Middlesbrough faces budget deficits, rising council tax, and frontline services being cut.
Luke Myer – Labour MP for Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland..
Staffing: £173,931
Dependent Travel: £0
Staff Travel: £1,773.93
Noted for employing at least one Labour Councillor elected to Hartlepool Borough Council to manage his casework, Luke Myer stands out for not claiming any dependent travel, though his staffing bill still comes in at £173,931.
He also claimed nearly £1,800 in staff travel — higher than some neighbouring MPs, prompting questions about how often his staff are travelling, and for what purposes.
With many East Cleveland communities feeling neglected and isolated from Westminster, residents may expect explanations on what return they are receiving for these increased staffing and travel costs.
Grahame Morris – Labour MP for Easington
Staffing: £244,356
Dependent Travel: £0
Staff Travel: £1,527
Grahame Morris tops the list with a £244k staffing bill, the highest of all MPs featured here.
While he did not claim for any dependent travel, his staff travel costs still exceed £1,500.
Easington is one of the most deprived constituencies in the country, and residents may rightly ask whether this level of spending translates into better representation or improved outcomes on the ground...
What These Numbers Really Show
Across the board, Labour MPs in our region are claiming hundreds of thousands of pounds in staffing costs, with some also dipping into taxpayer funds for dependent and staff travel. Concerning still, is that a number of Labour MP's, such as Luke Myer have specifically taken on Labour Councillors representing other constituencies to manage their caseloads raising questions over whether MP's are fairly advertising caseworker roles or handing them to a select few.
While MPs are entitled to claim expenses, voters are entitled to know:
Why are some staffing budgets almost double others?
What oversight exists for dependent travel?
Are taxpayers getting value for money?
Why are travel claims increasing while local services are being cut?
At a time when residents face rising costs, higher taxes, and reductions in public services, these expense claims deserve scrutiny. Transparency must mean more than publishing figures — it requires accountability and answers.
