Voters condemn husband-and-wife ministers who are exploiting 'second home' expenses loophole

Cabinet husband and wife Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper face public condemnation for exploiting a 'second home' expenses loophole worth £27,000 a year.

The Mail on Sunday's BPIX opinion poll reveals that eight out of ten voters believe it is 'unreasonable' for Ministers who live with their families in London during the week to get the taxpayer to subsidise their homes.

Last week this newspaper revealed how Children's Secretary Mr Balls and Housing Minister Ms Cooper are claiming expenses on their £655,000 North London home, bought to ensure their children win places at a top state school nearby.

More follows...

The couple are able to reclaim interest on their enormous £438,000 mortgage from the taxpayer because they have registered it with the Commons authorities as a 'second home'.

They claim their 'main home' is a property in Yorkshire used mainly at weekends.

The allowance was designed to help MPs from the provinces maintain a modest bolthole near the Commons.

The BPIX poll finds that 78 per cent of people believe that the conduct of the couple, who were both promoted by Gordon Brown, is 'unreasonable'. Even among Labour voters, 72 per cent think their behaviour is inappropriate.