A Labour MP who blasted London’s shortage of affordable housing is living in a council flat.
Poplar & Limehouse MP Apsana Begum, who earns a salary of £93,904, continues to reside at the property despite previously admitting she “probably” does not need to.
MPs also receive expenses to cover the costs of running an office, employing staff, renting a second home and travelling between Parliament and their constituency.
Tower Hamlets, which has average house prices of around £540,000, stipulates that any single person or couple earning over £90,000 are not eligible to apply for council housing.
However, The Telegraph has revealed that officials do not continue to monitor the occupant’s salary after the flat is allocated.
Ms Begum, who had the Labour whip restored in September 2025 following a revolt on the two-child benefit cap, is not breaking any rules by continuing to live in a council flat.
However, Tory Party Chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused the 35-year-old of hypocrisy.
He told The Telegraph: “Apsana Begum’s hypocrisy is staggering.
Apsana Begum was elected as the MP for Poplar & Limehouse in 2019
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“She has been speaking out about the need for more council housing while occupying a council flat herself, despite pocketing an MP’s salary worth more than three times the average wage.
“While thousands queue up for the chance to get a council home in Tower Hamlets, Begum is entrenched in a pad that even she admits she doesn’t need.
“As ever, it’s one rule for Labour and another for everyone else. Council homes should be for those who really need them.”
Research conducted by Zoopla suggests that someone wanting to buy a house in Tower Hamlets must have a household income of £84,200, around £10,000 less than Ms Begum’s annual pay.
Canary Wharf is covered by the constituency of Poplar & Limehouse
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In an interview with The Guardian in August 2021, Ms Begum admitted she probably does not need to continue living in her council flat.
She said: “I am probably in a much better position now than I was when I first contacted the council for support.
“And so it is something that I am thinking about: is it something that I need? And it’s probably not something that I need. It’s something that I should maybe consider or think about moving on from.”
Ms Begum gave the interview shortly after she was cleared of housing fraud at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Kevin Hollinrake lashed out over the revelations
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PAThe Labour MP had been accused of three charges of making dishonest applications for council homes to Tower Hamlets council between 2013 and 2016.
After the jury found her not guilty, Ms Begum said that “vexatious” claims about her living arrangements had led to 18 months of sexist and racist online abuse.
During a debate on house building in November, Ms Begum also spoke out about shortages in London.
She said: “Londoners and my constituents have been priced out, with increasing gentrification and affordable homes that are not only in shortage but all too often just not affordable.
Apsana Begum was found not guilty of housing fraud in 2021
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PA“That is the legacy of the previous Tory Government and their previous Tory Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.”
Ms Begum added: “Housing is a right, and we must all have safe, affordable and secure housing.
“We need investment and empowerment in our communities, and to resolve the housing crisis we need a mass building programme of social and particularly council housing.”
The Centre for London think tank describes Tower Hamlets as the capital’s most densely populated borough and has one of the most acute housing needs in England.
Meanwhile, Tower Hamlets admitted the housing crisis is “acute” in the borough, with 19,000 people currently on the waiting list.
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesman said: “Our Allocations Scheme restricts applicants with a sole or joint income of £90,000 or more from joining the Housing Register.
“Once a person is housed through the Register it is not our policy to review their salary.”
Dr Charlotte Proudman, barrister and founder of Proudmans Law Firm, said: “Apsana Begum MP was acquitted after a vexatious trial in 2021 with the matter being closed and no wrongdoing on her part.
“We consider this harassment of her to be an abuse of power which highlights the unjust treatment she continues to have to endure as a survivor of ongoing domestic abuse and the first hijab-wearing MP.”
GB News has approached Ms Begum for comment.
