Morning:
6°c
Housing Minister John Healey made a profit of £88,000 from his taxpayer-funded second home, it was revealed today.
The minister whose job includes dealing with rising repossessions rates and the shortage of affordable homes made the windfall in July when he sold his subsidised flat in Lambeth. Mr Healey bought the property in 2000 for £110,000 and over five years spent thousands on renovations that were paid for by the taxpayer through his Commons expenses.
He claimed £691 per month for mortgage interest in 2008 and at various times claimed £1,431 to replace his front door, £7,612 for timber windows, £1,317 for a bed, sofa and shelving units, £95 for a swivel chair from Ikea and £25.98 for four pillows. The Minister also made regular claims for food, utilities, phone and cleaning, plus £129 and £299 for TVs. He sold the flat for £198,000 and moved into a rented flat in London. He told the Telegraph he would pay capital gains tax.
Mr Healey was among 80 MPs who have switched their designated second homes during 2008 and 2009. David Cameron's parliamentary aide Desmond Swayne moved from a Notting Hill flat to a new second home in Hammersmith - even though he claimed £6,131 for a new kitchen in his old home in 2006. Tory MP Patrick Mercer sold a Westminster flat for £515,000 that he bought for £335,000 in 2002.
Reader views (4)
Voters please note - NONE of the existing Liberal Democrat MPs flipped homes and have not exploited the discreditted MPs expenses system in this way! It is high time they received credit for this in the national press.
- Jim, Hackney, 11/02/2010 16:23
Report abuse
What a LOAD OF RUBBISH / TRASH MP s more like My pocket ! Another scam already and not giving a damn about other peoples feelings towards any proposals to create a War and disturb public just for the greed of making money so the MP s line their own pockets. Shame
- Donna Hardy, rotherham, 14/12/2009 23:23
Report abuse
ALL second homes have been bought with tax payers' money and MUST be sold when this bunch of scumbags are kicked out at the next election.
- R.F.York, Yorks, UK, 11/12/2009 16:52
Report abuse
It really is time that flats were bought by the taxpayer for the MPs to stay in when they are in London - this way any profit if they are sold reverts to the taxpayers rather than the MPs pocket!
- Andy, London, 11/12/2009 12:29
Report abuse
