MPs not claiming more expenses than ever

A number of papers this morning reported that MPs are now claiming "more than ever" or in some cases more than "at the peak of the expenses scandal".

Some of the confusion has been cleared up from the source. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has published a blog post pointing out that the latest expenses totals aren't actually at their highest if you take inflation into account.

It's true that MPs expenses in 2013-14 totalled some £103 million - £1 million higher than in 2008, just prior to the MPs expenses scandal. But prices have risen since then, and the 2008 expenses are worth over £113 million in today's prices. In other words, not really the highest.