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How the Lib-Dems spent their cash
13 May 2009The former party leader hired an interior designer to refurbish his rented London flat at a cost of £10,000.
Sir Ming's claims included Roman blinds worth £528, five scatter cushions costing £176, four bedside shelves for £1,420 and assorted items down to a loo brush.
He also claimed for a king size bed worth £1,024, bed linen worth £329 and a flat screen TV for £299. There was also a £1,515 decorating bill.
The MP said his £800 a month Dolphin Square flat, with a protected rent, was a cheap deal for taxpayers but it needed doing up after many years.
The party's home affairs spokesman charged the taxpayer to paint a pergola in his garden and to replace the rope on a garden swing chair.
The work was carried out on his constituency home , one of seven properties he owns.
Another claim for a £119 mahogany Corby electric trouser press - which was delivered to his flat in Clapham, London, rather than his Eastleigh constituency home. He decided to repay the £119 last night.
He also claimed £85 for the “mounting, framing and inscription of photo of Chris Huhne”.
Mr Huhne said the swing seat was part of his house and that his overall claims, ranging from £3,970 a year to £9,759, were among the lowest.
The party leader submitted phone bills that included private calls to Colombia, Vietnam and Belgium. He announced last night he would repay £80.20 to cover the costs of the calls.
He also charged £680 for garden work including building a “wall in rose garden”, plus £760 to repair a path. He also charged for mortgage, stamp duty and legal costs to buy a second home fitting it with a £2,600 kitchen and £5,857 worth of decorations.
The St Ives MP claimed £847 a month for a London apartment that his daughter used, according to the Telegraph.
He purchased the riverside flat in Rotherhithe but the home insurance policy included in his expense claims was in the name of his 21-year-old daughter, Morvah George, a student and part-time model.
Mr George admitted she used the flat as a “bolt-hole” but denied she spent more time there than him.
Reader views (1)
Let us hope that Sir Ming doesn't fall behind with his protected rent in Dolphin Sq...recently a pensioner couple had their door smashed down on the orders of the new management Mantilla Holdings..Maintenence and security staff have been drastically cut...there are cigarette ends in the hallways..floods unattended in the basement and there was a gang fight on the property...£800 might be just too much to pay....
- Gwaddilove, london ENGLAND, 13/05/2009 11:07
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