MPs' expenses: what they claimed (part 3)
Updated on 17 May 2009
The full list of what MPs claimed for on their expenses, as revealed to date by the Daily Telegraph.
- Labour claims
- Labour claims (cont.)
- Conservative claims
- Conservative claims (cont.)
- Liberal Democrat claims
- Sinn Fein claims
- Democratic Unionist Party claims
- Scottish National Party (SNP) claims
- Other MP claims
Click here for the full Daily Telegraph reports on each MP investigated.
Conservative claims:
David Cameron
The Tory leader put a total of £141,820 on his second home allowance over five years. The majority of Mr Cameron's claims were for mortgage interest and utility bills for his Oxfordshire constituency home.
One exception was a £680 bill for repairs to the property, which included clearing wisteria and vines from a chimney, replacing outside lights and resealing his conservatory's roof. He has agreed to repay the bill for the removal of wisteria.
George Osborne
The parliamentary authorities considered the shadow chancellor's personal website too "political" to be publicly funded, the newspaper said.
After claiming £30 for a private company to host the site, Mr Osborne was told by an official: "I draw your attention to the 'Latest News' section of your webpage. This includes some articles ... which contain clearly political content and are therefore not acceptable on a publicly funded website."
He also put a £440.62 bill for a chauffeur company to drive him from Cheshire to London on 11 November 2005 on expenses.
While the invoice offered a 5 per cent discount for "prompt settlement", Mr Osborne received the full amount.
He has agreed to repay this money.
The records showed he also claimed hundreds of pounds for cleaning and remortgaged his second home in Cheshire, increasing his monthly mortgage interest bill from £1,560 a month to nearly £1,900.
David Willetts
The shadow innovation, universities and skills secretary claimed £115 plus VAT to replace 25 light bulbs at his second home in west London.
On the same claim - part of a £2,191 invoice for odd jobs that included cleaning a shower head - Mr Willetts charged another £80 to "change light bulbs in bathroom".
He has agreed to repay the bill for changing light bulbs.
But parliamentary authorities pared the bill back by more than £1,000, refusing to refund £175 for a dog enclosure and £750 for a shed base.
According to the Telegraph, the fees office frequently cut his claims because of errors or overclaims.
Chris Grayling
The shadow home secretary received thousands of pounds to renovate a London flat 17 miles from his constituency home.
Mr Grayling, who already apparently owned three properties within the M25, bought the flat with loans subsidised by the taxpayer.
In an unusual move, Mr Grayling negotiated an arrangement with the fees office that allowed him to claim £625 a month for mortgages on two separate properties - the main home in Ashtead, Surrey, and the new flat.
An exception to the rules was made for the Epsom and Ewell MP because he was unable to obtain a 100 per cent mortgage on the flat.
He is also alleged to have delayed putting in claims for decorating and refurbishing costs so he could receive the maximum in Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) over consecutive years.
Mr Grayling has agreed to stop claiming the second home allowance altogether.
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Francis Maude
The shadow Cabinet Office minister claimed almost £35,000 over two years for a mortgage on a London flat a few minutes walk from a house he already owned and then rented out.
The taxpayer footed the £387.50 bill for moving his effects down the road.
He has agreed to stop claiming the second home allowance.
He also tried to claim mortgage interest on his family home in Sussex, but the arrangement was reportedly rejected by the Fees Office.
Cheryl Gillan
The shadow Welsh secretary spent taxpayers' money on dog food.
She said the £4.47 claim was an error and promised to repay the money.
The fees office also reduced two claims for gas bills because statements showed Ms Gillan's account was in credit.
Oliver Letwin
Mr Letwin, who is in charge of drawing up the Conservative general election manifesto, claimed more than £2,000 to replace a leaking pipe under his tennis court. He has agreed to repay this money.
He said he had been ordered to mend the pipe by the local water company and did not make any improvements to the court or his garden.
The taxpayer also picked up the tab for regular services to his Aga cooker.
Ken Clarke
The shadow business secretary had to be repeatedly reminded to submit receipts for when claiming thousands of pounds for security and cleaning at his second home in London.
Receipts also show that Mr Clarke did not claim a second home tax discount of 10 per cent from Lambeth council. He also saved £650 per year on his Nottinghamshire home, saying that he spent so little time there that his wife should qualify for the single person's discount.
He has agreed to pay the full rate in future, but has defended his past actions.
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Theresa Villiers
The shadow transport secretary claimed almost £16,000 in stamp duty and fees when she bought a flat in Kennington, south London, despite already owning a house in her north London constituency, Chipping Barnet.
She has agreed to stop claiming the second home allowance
Nick Herbert
The shadow environment secretary claimed back £10,000 of the £14,700 stamp duty when he bought a home with his partner in his constituency.
He also charged for fees and a survey of the property in Arundel, West Sussex and claimed for the entire monthly mortgage interest even though his partner's name was on the deeds.
Alan Duncan
The shadow leader of the Commons claimed thousands of pounds for his garden before agreeing with the fees office that the spending "could be considered excessive".
Millionaire Mr Duncan recouped £4,000 over three years. However, a £3,194 bill for gardening in March 2007 was not paid after officials responded suggesting that the claim might not be "within the spirit" of the rules, according to the Daily Telegraph.
In a letter to the MP for Rutland and Melton, the fees office said that it expected gardening costs "to cover only basic essentials such as grass cutting".
In March 2007, Mr Duncan claimed £598 to overhaul a ride-on lawn-mower and then a further £41 to fix a puncture a month later.
He has agreed to repay £5,000.
Mr Duncan is also said to have claimed £1,400 a month for mortgage interest on his home in Rutland.
In an interview, Mr Duncan claimed to be the first ever MP to voluntarily publish his expenses receipts.
Andrew Lansley
The shadow health secretary spent thousands of pounds renovating a thatched Tudor country cottage - and sold it shortly afterwards.
He redecorated with premium paint in some rooms at a cost of £2,000 and spent more than £500 having the driveway re-shingled.
He is then said to have "flipped" his expenses to a Georgian flat in London, and claimed for thousands of pounds in furnishings, including a Laura Ashley sofa.
He will repay £2,600 of decoration fees.
Michael Gove
Mr Gove spent more than £7,000 in five months furnishing a London property in 2006 before "flipping" his second home designation to a new property he bought in Surrey.
He has agreed to repay £7,000.
He then apparently claimed more than £13,000 in stamp duty and other fees from his Parliamentary expenses for this property.
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David Heathcoat-Amory
The MP for Wells in Somerset reportedly claimed £388.80 for horse manure between 2004 and 2007.
He also submitted a bill of £986.17 for heating oil in January 2008, and between July and September 2007 Mr Heathcoat-Amory also claimed £1,792.50 worth of invoices from a gardening firm.
Sir Michael Spicer
Sir Michael, who is chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of back bench MPs, has claimed £620 for the installation of a chandelier and rewiring work and more than £1,000 for servicing an oven, The Daily Telegraph said.
He also claimed more than £5,650 for gardening work at his Worcestershire manor house, as well as £4,000 for council tax on two homes.
Other items reportedly claimed included £3,000 for roof repairs and £2,350 for work on his chimney.
Stewart Jackson
The Tory communities spokesman has claimed more than £66,000 for his family home in Peterborough, the paper said.
He billed the taxpayer for £304.10 for work on the swimming pool, and more than £11,000 in professional fees and costs incurred with the move to the property in 2005.
According to the report, household items claimed include a £3,000 berber carpet, a £741 king size bed and £775 for plumbing work in his summer room.
He said he would be repaying the money claimed for the swimming pool work.
Greg Barker
The shadow climate change minister is said to have made £320,000 in little over two years by buying and selling a property bought with the help of parliamentary expenses.
Mr Barker bought the flat in Chelsea for £480,000 in November 2004 before selling it in 2007 for £800,000, the Telegraph said.
While it was designated as his second home for parliament, it was his main residence for tax purposes enabling him to avoid any Capital Gains Tax.
David Davis
The former shadow Home Secretary spent more than £10,000 of taxpayers' money on home improvements in four years, including a £5,700 portico at his home in Yorkshire, it was disclosed.
He also claimed more than £2,000 for the cost of mowing and rolling two paddocks at his home.
James Arbuthnot
According to the Telegraph, Mr Arbuthnot claimed £1,471 for "grass, trim, pool, fuel" costs associated with the garden of his property in Hampshire.
During the period May to October 2007, he also submitted a claim for £2,433 "for the expense of our housekeeper". Furnishing he asked to be reimbursed included £728 for a new television and £100 for a sign at his new home.
In total, the chairman of the Defence Select Committee has claimed £108,062 over the past five years - the maximum amount possible according to the paper.
He said he would be repaying the money claimed for the swimming pool work.
Sir Alan Haselhurst
The Deputy Speaker has charged taxpayers almost £12,000 for gardening bills at his Essex farmhouse, the report said.
He told the paper that the gardener "does all the heavy work which I don't have the opportunity to do when I'm in London."
Douglas Hogg
Former Agriculture minister Mr Hogg has been paid more than £20,000 a year between 2004 and 2008 in second home allowances, it has been revealed.
Among the costs itemised were £2,115 for having a moat cleared, £646.25 for "general repairs, stable etc" and £40 for piano tuning, the Telegraph said.
Mr Hogg insisted that all his claims were "within both the spirit and the letter" of Commons rules but denied the taxpayer had paid for the cleaning of his moat.
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Michael Ancram
The former Conservative deputy leader charged the cost of having his swimming pool boiler serviced to his parliamentary allowances, it was reported.
Records seen by the paper show £98.58 was claimed for the boiler repair, as well as more than £3,000 in cleaning costs and £1,250 of gardening expenses in a single year.
He has agreed to repay the cost of the swimming pool boiler repair, but said none of his other items claimed were "extravagant or luxurious".
John Gummer
The former Tory cabinet minister claimed £9,000 a year for gardening, charging the taxpayer hundreds of pounds for treating insect "infestations" and removing moles and jackdaw nests from his Suffolk property, and for an annual "rodent service".
John Maples:
According to the Telegraph, the deputy chairman of the Conservative party declared a private members club as his main home to the parliamentary authorities.
Mr Maples claimed the maximum second home allowance possible while registering the RAC in London's Pall Mall as his principal residence.
He denied declaring the club, which features bars, restaurants and sports facilities, as his main home, saying it had been his London "base".
Stephen Crabb:
The Preseli Pembrokeshire MP reportedly claimed his main home was a room in a flat rented by another MP after buying a new family home in Wales, claiming £9,300 in stamp duty.
He had previously "flipped" the property designated as his second home to the family house from another London flat that was sold for a profit after more than £8,000 in taxpayer-funded refurbishment, it was disclosed.
Mr Crabb said his claims were "always within the letter and spirit of the rules".
Andrew MacKay and Julie Kirkbride:
Mr MacKay, who is married to Bromsgrove MP Julie Kirkbride, claimed more than £1,000 a month to cover mortgage interest payments on their joint flat near Westminster, which he designated his "second home" despite owning no property in his Bracknell constituency.
At the same time, Ms Kirkbride used her own second homes allowance to claim more than £900 a month towards the loan on their family home in Bromsgrove.
Mr MacKay said it had never previously occurred to him there was anything wrong with the arrangement until it was taken up with him by a Conservative audit of claims this week. He resigned from his post as parliamentary aid to David Cameron.
James Clappison:
The Shadow work and pensions minister has claimed more than £100,000 in expenses including thousands for gardening and redecoration, it was disclosed.
He has claimed a total of £3,166 for regular work on his garden since 2004, the Telegraph said.
Also among the items charged to the taxpayer include a typical £300 per month for food, up to £125 per month for a cleaner and £31 cable TV bill.
Mr Clappison said he voluntarily submitted his claims to the Fees Office for review. "They found that my claims were not only entirely within the rules but also within the spirit of the rules," he said.
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Sir Nicholas and Ann Winterton:
The Tory backbench couple are said to have claimed more than £80,000 for a London flat owned by a trust controlled by their children.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown:
The shadow minister for international development "flipped" his second home designation from London to his Gloucestershire home, before buying a £2.75m house, the Telegraph said.
He also claimed £87 a month for laundry and dry cleaning, and up to £400 a month for food.
Anthony Steen:
Tory "grandee" Mr Steen, the MP for Totnes in Devon, is reported to have claimed tens of thousands of pounds for looking after a "country mansion" including work on 500 trees.
Other items he claimed included £2,858.94 for leaking pipes, £1,318 for a wrought iron fireplace and £597 for lights.
He said: "I shall be meeting the scrutiny panel established by David Cameron next week. If they believe I should repay any sum I will do so."
Nadine Dorries:
Tory MP Nadine Dorries is said to have claimed for a New Year's Eve hotel room and a second home allowance while only having one home. She also got taxpayers to foot the bill for a lost £2,190 deposit on a rented flat.
Ms Dorries, the MP for Mid Bedfordshire, denied the allegations about the hotel room and the second home, but admitted the lost deposit claim.
David Maclean:
The Tory MP, who represents Penrith and The Border in Cumbria, is said to have used £20,000 of taxpayers' cash to do up a property before selling it.
Mr Maclean, who introduced a Bill to exempt parliament from aspects of freedom of information law, then avoided paying capital gains tax on the sale by telling the taxman it was his main home, the newspaper alleged.
He denied switching designations to avoid paying tax.
Julian Lewis:
The shadow defence minister claimed more than £7,000 from the taxpayer for redecorating his second home and installing new kitchen appliances. He also asked if he could claim £6,000 in expenses for a wooden floor, but was told it could be seen as extravagant.
Mr Lewis said the Westminster expenses system was "rotten" but insisted he had only used it to carry out essential maintenance and had not abused the system.
David Ruffley:
Tory frontbencher Mr Ruffley is reported to have "flipped" his second home from London to his constituency before claiming back thousands for furniture and fittings, including a £1,674 sofa. He was said to have been refused the full amount when he claimed for a £2,175 television from Harrods, and also had a £6,765 claim for bedroom furniture and equipment reduced.
Greg Knight:
Tory backbencher Mr Knight, who has a collection of classic cars, claimed £2,600 for repair work on the driveway at his designated second home as part of a £21,793 bill for maintenance and security. He said none of his claims was related to the cost of keeping his car collection.
Ed Vaizey:
Mr Vaizey, who is Tory MP for Wantage in Oxfordshire, is reported to have had £2,000 of furniture delivered to his London home when he was claiming an allowance on a second home in Oxfordshire.
The items - including a £467 sofa and £544 chair and a £280 low table - were from Oka, co-founded by Tory leader David Cameron's mother-in-law, the Telegraph said. He said he has paid back the claims for the Oka furniture, as they were deemed "higher quality than necessary".
Robert Syms:
The Tory MP for Poole in Dorset is said to have claimed more than £2,000 worth of furniture on expenses for his second home in London, but had it all delivered to his parents' address in Wiltshire. Mr Syms sent the bed, mattress, sofa and chair to the Wiltshire property.
He said his parents' address was the best for delivery for the items, and he had then taken up to London afterwards.
John Redwood:
The former Conservative leadership candidate has admitted being paid twice after submitting an identical £3,000 decorating bill on his designated second home.
The duplicate claim for £3,275.31 was made in April 2007 and not spotted for four months.
It is also alleged that Mr Redwood moved the designation of his second home three times between 2004 and 2008.
"On no occasion have I sought to profit from a second home," he said.
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Crispin Blunt:
The Conservative home affairs spokesman was told to stop claiming the second home allowance on his London home because his children lived there.
He then asked if he could take out a second mortgage against his constituency home in Surrey, and when the request was rejected he sold the house and bought a property costing nearly twice as much. He also claimed £16,000 in stamp duty and fees.
Patrick McLoughlin:
Mr McLoughlin, the Conservative Chief Whip charged with examining Tory expenses, was said to have claimed £3,000 for the fitting of new windows at his second home - a detached country house in Derbyshire.
Alistair Burt:
The assistant chief whip and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party claimed £1,000 too much for his rent over a period of five months. He was allowed to keep the extra money because he told the fees office he had not submitted expenses for food in that time, the newspaper said.
James Gray:
The MP for North Wiltshire claimed £2,000 for future decorations to his second home on the day his lease on the property ended.
Mr Gray, who admitted cheating on his wife while she was being treated for breast cancer, wrote to the fees office in June 2007 to inform them that he would pay £2,000 towards renovations his ex-wife planned to carry out to the property.
He then claimed £5,000 to cover the cost of moving into a property nearby with his new partner. He also asked if he could be reimbursed for £2,500 a month in rent - an increase of £1,155 - until he had used up his second home allowance.
Sir Peter Viggers:
The veteran Tory MP was forced to announce his retirement following revelations of his expenses claims, reported to include a £1,645 taxpayer-funded floating "duck island" for his pond.
Sir Peter, a former banker who has represented Gosport since 1974, will step down at the next election and pay back a sum believed to be in five figures after his claims were ruled excessive by a Tory panel.
His £30,000 claims for gardening included £500 for manure and £1,645 on a "floating duck island" for his pond.
Sir Paul Beresford:
The Conservative MP designated his London property - which includes a dental practice where he works up to three days a week - as his second home and billed the taxpayer for three-quarters of the running costs.
Michael Fallon:
The senior Tory claimed £8,300 too much for the mortgage on his second home. Mr Fallon, deputy chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, put his entire mortgage payments on expenses when MPs are only allowed to claim for interest charges. His error was spotted by the fees office in September 2004.
Bill Wiggin:
The Tory whip made a £11,000 mortgage claim against the wrong property. He said he had inadvertently filled in the wrong address on several claim forms but had not benefited financially in any way from the error - which was discovered by officials in 2006.
Anthony Steen:
The Totnes MP claimed more than £80,000 from the taxpayer over four years for work at his £1m Devon mansion. His receipts included payments for tree surgery, guarding shrubs against rabbits, maintaining a separate cottage and overhauling his private sewerage system. The veteran Tory said he would stand down to avoid distracting the party from its general election fight.
- Conservative claims (cont.)
- Back to index
