Tonight:
10°c
What they claimed: MPs expenses in full
13.05.09
Mr Brown used his expenses to pay his brother Andrew £6,577 for cleaning work at his Westminster flat between 2004 and 2006.
The brothers shared the cleaner at their two flats. Under the arrangement, Andrew Brown paid the cleaner and the Prime Minister reimbursed his share of the cost.
Mr Darling "switched" the location of his second home four times in four years, allowing him to claim thousands of pounds towards the cost of his Edinburgh home and for the London flat, it was reported.
The taxpayer contributed almost £10,000 towards the cost of furnishing the Chancellor's London flat, including £2,074 for furniture and £2,339 for "magnolia" carpets.
The public also footed the bills for £765 from Ikea and £768 from Marks and Spencer for a bed.
The Justice Secretary claimed for the full cost of council tax, even though he received a 50% discount from his local authority.
He repaid the money last summer, shortly after a High Court ruling requiring the receipts to be published.
In a note to the fees office he wrote: "Accountancy does not appear to be my strongest suit."
Lord Mandelson
Business Secretary Lord Mandelson claimed thousands of pounds for work on his constituency home in Hartlepool shortly after announcing his resignation as an MP, it was reported.
He renovated the terrace house in 2004 and sold it for a £136,000 profit.
Lord Mandelson's spokesman insisted the expenditure was to repair the property, "not improve it".
The Foreign Secretary claimed almost £30,000 for doing up his £120,000 constituency home over five years, it was reported.
He spent up to £180 every three months on the garden at the property in South Shields.
At the bottom of one receipt for £132.96 in April 2008, his gardener wrote a note questioning whether some of the work was necessary.
The Transport Secretary was able to switch his second home in a way which allowed him to improve his family home in Derbyshire at taxpayers' expense before buying a London townhouse.
The Communities Secretary claimed for three different properties in a single year, spending almost £5,000 of taxpayers' money on furniture in three months.
The Housing Minister found herself in trouble with the Fees Office after attempting to claim £600 for hanging baskets and pot plants.
The Culture Secretary wrote a note to the fees office in which he pleaded for his expenses to be paid urgently and even wrote he "might be in line for a divorce" if the money did not materialise within days.
Taxpayers contributed almost £100,000 to help pay the mortgage on Mr Woodward's £1.35 million flat - one of seven owned by the Northern Ireland Secretary.
The Europe minister put solicitors' fees and stamp duty totalling £14,553 on her Parliamentary expenses after buying a central London flat.
Paul Murphy
The Welsh Secretary used his second home allowance to buy the freehold on a flat close to Parliament, putting the arrangement fees and stamp duty on his expenses.
He also claimed for decorating and furnishing costs, including £35 for a toilet roll holder, £537 for an oven, a £605 TV and a £449 sound system.
Mr Alexander's constituency home was damaged in a house fire in 2007 after he spent more than £30,000 doing it up, the newspaper reported.
The International Development Secretary told the fees office he was "under-insured" and claimed almost £2,000 on items lost in the fire, which he later repaid when his insurers reimbursed him.
The taxpayer paid for the former deputy prime minister to fit the front of his home in Hull with mock Tudor boards and for his toilet seat to be repaired twice in two years.
The Labour MP for Luton switched her second home to the house she shares with her partner, 100 miles from her constituency - just days before spending £22,500 on treating dry rot at the seafront property.
Mr Martin, who as Commons speaker fought to prevent MPs' expenses claims entering the public domain, spent more than £1,400 on chauffeurs in his Glasgow constituency.
The MP for Brent North made a profit of almost £200,000 from a flat mortgaged and renovated with the help of taxpayers' cash, it was alleged.
Vera Baird QC
Mrs Baird, who as Solicitor General is one of the Government's top legal advisers, fell foul of expenses rules after trying to claim for Christmas decorations.
Five Sinn Fein MPs raked in expenses of almost £500,000 for running a second home - despite not taking up their seats in the Commons.
The party's two most senior figures, president Gerry Adams and Northern Ireland deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, were said to have jointly claimed £3,600 a month to rent a shared two-bedroom flat in the capital, which a local estate agent suggested would be worth £1,400 a month.
The three other MPs together claimed £5,400 a month to rent a shared town house estimated to be worth around £1,800 a month.
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".
The former Trade Secretary used the expenses system to claim more than £125,000 for the London flat owned by his partner, the paper said.
Over the past five years, Mr Byers spent more than £27,000 on redecoration, maintenance and appliances at the flat in Camden, north London.
The claims included extensive renovations to the outside of the entire building, which consists of four flats.
Documents showed Mr Byers put the entire £12,000 bill for the work - including his partner's share - on expenses.
According to leaked receipts, the former Home Secretary appears to enjoy his creature comforts when in his Scottish constituency.
Mr Reid's claims included a £199 pouffe, a £370 armchair, an £899 sofa and a £29.99 a "black glitter toilet seat".
The former Prime Minister was able to use his parliamentary expenses to remortgage his constituency home for £296,000 - nearly 10 times what he paid for it - just months before buying a west London house for £3.65 million.
The claims, some of which were revealed last year under a Freedom of Information request, showed interest repayments on his constituency home amounted to almost a third of the new mortgage - enough to cover the deposit on the new house.
The London town house was one of five properties owned by Mr Blair - reportedly worth a total of £10 million, the newspaper reported.
Kevin Brennan
The junior minister was said to have had a £450 widescreen television delivered to his family home in Wales and then claimed it on his allowance for his second home in London.
The Department for Work and Pensions minister drew up a list of renovations she hoped to make to her London house and asked Commons officials to "pay as much as you are able!"
Iain Wright and Tom Watson
Mr Wright, a junior housing minister, asked if he could buy furniture before he had even bought the property he shares with Mr Watson.
He was told it would be better to wait until after the general election in case he lost his seat.
He told the Commons authorities: "It seems stupid to carry it over into next year when a large chunk of my (allowance) would go unused."
Greg Barker
Mr Barker - the first prominent Tory to be caught up in the expenses row - reportedly made a £320,000 profit on a flat he bought at the taxpayers' expense.
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".
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.
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% 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.
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 also tried to claim mortgage interest on his family home in Sussex, but the arrangement was reportedly rejected by the Fees Office.
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 November 11 2005 on expenses.
While the invoice offered a 5% discount for "prompt settlement", Mr Osborne received the full amount.
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.
The Tory leader claimed a total of £82,450 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.
The newspaper reported Mr Cameron's expenses appeared relatively straightforward compared to other members of the shadow cabinet.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Mr Duncan is also said to have claimed £1,400 a month for mortgage interest on his home in Rutland.
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.
Mr Gove - a close ally of Mr Cameron - 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 then apparently claimed more than £13,000 in stamp duty and other fees from his Parliamentary expenses for this property.
The former Chancellor's book-keeping skills "leave much to be desired" according to the newspaper.
Mr Clarke, now shadow business secretary, was apparently asked repeatedly to submit receipts for thousands of pounds in claims for security and cleaning at his second home in London.
The records also revealed he does not claim a council tax discount of up to 10% to which he should be entitled having designated the property as his second home.
The shadow transport secretary claimed nearly £16,000 in stamp duty and fees for a London flat, despite already having another house in the capital only 14 miles from Westminster, it was reported.
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.
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.
"I'm sorry I made them and will repay them in full," he told the paper.
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."
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 by the Telegraph were £2,115 for having a moat cleared, £646.25 for "general repairs, stable etc" and £40 for piano tuning.
But Mr Hogg said in a statement: "I have never claimed for the moat, or for the piano tuning - the allegation that I did is incorrect. I never claimed for these and I never received any money.
"The work to the stables that the Telegraph mentions was actually for maintenance of security lights which were installed by the Home Office as part of the response to an IRA threat."
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 said none of his items claimed "could be considered extravagant or luxurious".
Bob Marshall-Andrews
The left wing Labour MP has claimed £118,000 for expenses at his second home, including stereo equipment, redecoration and a pair of Kenyan carpets, The Daily Telegraph said.
In 2006 he claimed £750 on a "multi-room audio system" and £830 on a DVD recorder and other electrical goods.
He has also claimed almost £1,300 for an intercom, brass name plaque and other door adornments.
Mr Marshall-Andrews said the claims for his TV and DVD recorder were "met" from second home allowances "in error". They were mainly for office use and should have been claimed accordingly, he told the paper.
He added that all other claims were "within the spirit and letter of the law".
Andrew George
The Liberal Democrat MP has claimed £847 a month for a riverside flat in London used by his student daughter, according to the Telegraph.
Mr George, who is MP for St Ives in Cornwall, said his daughter Morvah, 21, had access to the property in Rotherhithe but was not the sole user.
Former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies spent nearly £10,000 of taxpayer funds refurbishing his central London flat.
Among the items claimed were a new king-size bed worth £1,024, bed linen worth £373 and five cushions costing £176.25. He also claimed thousands of pounds of food over the summer recess.
The Lib Dem's home affairs spokesman regularly submits claims for food and groceries including pints of milk, fluffy dusters and chocolate biscuits.
Millionaire Mr Huhne, who is MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire, also expensed a £119 trouser press which was delivered to his main London home.
He said he has repaid the cost of the press.
The current Lib Dem leader reported had his second home allowance docked last year after exceeding the £23,083 maximum by more than £100.
Other claims made included £1,657.32 for food, and phone bills which included calls to Colombia and Vietnam.
He said that when he sells his second home, any profit will go back to the taxpayer. Mr Clegg also said he had paid back the £80.20 cost of the international calls.
Julia Goldsworthy
The Lib Dem local government spokesman spent thousands of pounds on furniture just days before the deadline for using up parliamentary allowances, it was reported.
She bought a £999 TV, £1,500 of furniture in House of Fraser and a £1,200 leather rocking chair from upmarket furniture store Heal's on March 28 and 29, 2006, the paper said.
The House of Commons financial year ends at the beginning of April, after which expenses incurred must be set against a new allowance.
Ms Goldsworthy told the paper that she had claimed "reasonable" costs for furnishings.
Lib Dem housing spokesman Mr Opik billed a £40 summons for the non-payment of council tax on a flat to his second home expenses.
He told the Telegraph that he would pay back the sum.
Alan Reid
The Lib Dem MP for Argyll and Bute in Scotland has claimed more than £1,500 for staying in hotels and bed and breakfasts in his constituency, according to the Telegraph.
The paper said he put in receipts for eight nights in Scottish lodgings during 2005/06, but was told by the Commons fees office that stays in constituency hotels could not be claimed.
In 2007/08, he also claimed for three stays in Scottish hotels including one overlooking Loch Etive and one of the Isle of Bute, 38 miles from his designated second home.
Mr Reid told the paper it was sometimes impractical for him to travel home at night from various locations in Scotland due to lack of ferries and adequate transport.
Campaigning Lib Dem MP Norman Baker asked the Commons fees office if he could claim for a bicycle for use between his London flat and Parliament. The request was denied.
Lib Dem MP Mr Harvey, who is nominated as the spokesman for the House of Commons, had to be reminded twice by officials to submit receipts with his expenses.
Reader views (12)
Is there a Lawyer out there who will represent me in taking out a Court Summons against all the MPs who have fraudulently used our taxes for their own gain?
It is a disgrace that they now think they can pay back a small percentage of what they have stolen from me, my family and every Taxpayer in the UK. If I left my job, my Pension would stop immediately. I would get no ' Bonuses ' or ' Golden Handshakes ' to see me on my way. When we get a job, a probationary period is normally set and in this time, we are assesed as to whether we are able to do the job. This should apply to all members of Parliament when they are given a ministerial Position and the word GIVEN seems to be the problem here, as no one seems to be expected to EARN anything, Job or Salary ! If the Government are serious about wanting to change the Allowance System, then make it so that the salary MPs are given is all that they get. No more hidden expenses and definately no £150 given to them for making an appearance in the House of Commons! That is no different to my husband being paid for turning up for his work!
- Mrs Susan Matheson., Edzell, Angus.Scotland.
They say "todays new is tomorrows fish and chip paper" but where is the public anger now. have we all forgotten that these robbing MPs are still in post. Lets just hope that come the next election, we will not be blinded by their spin into forgetting just how grubby money grabbing they were. It is obvious to any reasonably intelligent individual that they saw the expences system as a free gravy train and stuck their snouts into the trough as far as they could. Shame on them for their greed, shame on us for turning a blind eye to what we have always suspected and shame on democracy for allowing these criminals to represent us.
- Mike, leatherhead
Come on folks lets clean out this rat infested sewer called Parliarment, the clue is in the middle four letters of Parliarment. MPs most of them were employed before becomming MPs and in their employment they know if they had behaved in the same way they would have been sacked. We need clean transparent politics and MPs who listen to the electorate and not to the party whips. can we find a leader who will clean up and make Britons Government something that is not a laughing stock in the world, and that includes clean out whitehall and all organisations that depend on public money for their existence. I am disgusted with the present set up, Are you.
- Hugo Marchen, Wirral
Many of the expenses are trivial and the Telegraph should not muddy the waters by including. However I beleive that every m.p who switched 1st and second homes to swindled the taxpayers of this country should be sacked and prosecuted. I nominate the arrogant little Hazel Blears as the first to be given the boot, preferably in her behind
- Jimi Thomas, Rhayader Wales
>>Mr Reid's claims included a £199 pouffe, a £370 armchair, an £899 sofa and a £29.99 a "black glitter toilet seat".
Who would have thought that John [Nuckles] Reid would have ever purchased a pouffe or a black glitter toilet seat?
- Adam, Harrow, UK
I am appalled by the moral deceit adopted by so many of our MPs, and I find the cries of a ‘faulty’ system as a rationale for their behaviour an insult to the intelligence of the public. Should any of us abuse a system of expenses to the (almost criminal) level we have seen by MPs, there is no doubt we would be, at the very least, sacked from our employment. It is therefore important for MPs to understand we, the public, employ them.
The European elections are almost upon us, and I wholly support the need for a full list of all MPs expenses with clearly identified ‘good guys’, i.e. those who have made moral decisions not to abuse the expenses system. Such people are worthy of our employment, whether through the European Election or the General Election next year.
- Lionel, Cheshire
There should be enough room in prison for 600+ former MP's. Lock them all up and throw away the key.
- Adam, Harrow, UK
Yes let's have a 'roll of honour' for modest upright MPs like Kelvin Hopkins
- David Holland, London UK
Agree with Maya and Max, a list of honest MP's would be most helpful.
And probably much shorter!
- John T, London
Will it possible to have a list of all the honest MP's?
Also I think while the nation is investigating this "on going disgrace",could someone start investigating our local council operations, Thanks!
- Max, Kensington, London
Me thinks this is just the tip of the Iceberg!
- Mike, London England
Can you please print a list of MP's who have not been helping themselves to our money. It will help us all when ticking the box at the next election. I am massively unlucky as Tony McNulty is my MP forcing me to consider another party just becuase I cannot bring myself to support such a con man.
- Maya, London
