Exclusive: peer 'milking' taxpayer by furloughing himself and claiming Lords allowance
Lord Fox, who owns two homes worth more than £2 million, is the first Parliamentarian known to use wage subsidy scheme to pay himself
By Anna Mikhailova, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR 20 May 2020 • 9:00pm
A frontbench peer has furloughed himself despite having a £100,000 cash pot in his company and claiming the daily House of Lords allowance during lockdown, The Telegraph can reveal.
Lord Fox, who owns two homes worth more than £2 million, is the first Parliamentarian known to use the Government's wage subsidy scheme to pay himself.
The 62-year-old Liberal Democrat frontbench spokesman for business is the owner and sole employee of Vulpes Advisory, a "strategic communications" company.
His decision to double-dip into the taxpayers' pocket was criticised as "milking the taxpayer" by MPs, who said on Wednesday that he should pay the money back.
The peer has chosen to take the £162 daily allowance for his work in the Lords, which is being conducted by Zoom during the lockdown...