Otaki MP To Repay Allowance After Simeon Brown Announces 58-kilometre Tunnel To His House

National backbencher Tim Costley will stop claiming a $36,000 housing allowance after minister Simeon Brown unveiled plans to build a road tunnel from Parliament direct to his home.

The unfortunately-named Mr Costley, who has a 58-kilometre drive to work  – or what many Auckland commuters call ‘Tuesday’ - has previously claimed the yearly $36,000 by overnighting in the Wellington apartment he owns in addition to his Waikanae residence.

Prime Minister and former self-identifying entitlement-holder Christopher Luxon defended Mr Costley claiming the allowance, saying the MP worked long hours, was ‘juggling a lot’ and ‘there are times when that can be a bit brutal’.

The PM refused to elaborate on whether other hard-working Kiwis who work long hours and commute long distances that are ‘a bit brutal’ should be able to claim a new Suzuki Swift Sport‘s worth of housing subsidy every year, but added that in any event there was nothing he could change about the current system.

‘What can I do? These are the rules. We’re just the government, after all.’

But now Minister of Roads, Roads and Roads Simeon Brown has stepped in to resolve the issue.