As voters go to the polls tomorrow to choose the next West Midlands mayor, Siôn Simon will be aiming to take his taxpayer-funded career income over the million pound mark. Despite railing against professional politicians as “people whose only ambition from the earliest age – and often their only achievement -was to be a politician”, Simon has sucked at the teat of the taxpayer for the last two decades. After studying PPE at Oxford, Simon worked as

• Parliamentary researcher for George Robertson for three years. Estimated income: £60,000.
• 2001-2010: MP for Birmingham Erdington. In 2001 MPs were paid £49,822, by 2010 they were on £65,738. Estimated income: £600,000.
• 2008-2009: Education minister. In 2008 Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State were paid £30,851. 
• 2009-2010: Creative industries minister. In 2009 Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State were paid £30,851.
• Expenses scandal: Simon resigned after claiming almost £20,000 to rent a second home from his sister, £895 for a new king size bed, £155 at IKEA, £80 for bed linen from ‘Pollecoff’s of Pwllheli’, £4.99 for hangers, 100 tealight candles (£1.69). Estimated total: £25,000.
• MEP: 2014-present. MEP salary in 2014 was €8,020 per month. MEP Salary as of July 2015 is €8,213 per month. Estimated income: £214,480.
• Total estimated income from the taxpayer: £960,000.

As West Midlands mayor Simon would earn £79,000-a-year, sending him over the million pound mark for lifelong taxpayer funded income. Please Sion, tell us more about those career politicians whose “only achievement was to be a politician”…