MPs' expenses: the most bizarre claims
Lynne Jones, 59, a former Birmingham city councillor who was a backbench far- Left Labour MP from 1992 to 2010, and was a leading member of the Socialist Campaign Group founded by supporters of Tony Benn. She was a staunch opponent of the New Labour project, and threatened to stand against Gordon Brown to prevent him being elected unopposed as Labour leader.
Lynne Jones billed the taxpayer as part of a redecoration programme at her second home in London. She gave her Lambeth flat a £22,000 facelift, including £6,100 for a new bathroom, £600 towards the £1,300 cost of two Persian rugs and £518 for an LCD television. The cost to the taxpayer would have been even greater if the parliamentary fees office had not refused to pay for other items deemed “excessive”, that included two limited edition etchings by the artist Phil Greenwood which cost a total of £725, and £1,105 of decorating work for which the bill was put in too late.
In January 2007 Miss Jones announced that she would not be standing at the next general election, but the refurbishment of her London flat carried on, with another £6,761 spent on renovations. Miss Jones claimed £5,074 for a painter and decorator. In addition she claimed for 11 rolls of block printed Farrow & Ball “St Antoine” wallpaper, at £63.99 per roll; eight rolls of Farrow & Ball Toile Trellis wallpaper at £52 per roll, and £71.50 for Farrow & Ball paint.
Miss Jones, who published details of her expenses on her website, said she had decorated her London home to a similar standard to her constituency home, often using the same brands, such as the Farrow & Ball wallpaper, which she regarded as being “in both the spirit and letter of the rules as I understood them”.
Many of the claims submitted by Miss Jones appear highly questionable in the light of rules set out in the parliamentary Green Book, which ban claims for any items which are “luxurious or premium grade” or work which “enhances” a property.
The mother of two also submitted invoices for £323 for two pictures, £1,298 for a bed from the Iron Bed Company, £600 for bookshelves and £878 for new floorboards.
An £815 bill for the replacement of two radiators was submitted twice and appeared to have been paid for twice. She said the old bathroom had been “tatty and unhygienic” and that she would contact the fees office to see if the plumbing bill had been paid twice.
Between 2004 and 2008 she claimed a total of £61,468 in second home allowances for her London flat, where the mortgage interest repayments in 2008 were just £314 per month. She also said she would pay capital gains tax on any profit she made.
Lynne Jones billed the taxpayer as part of a redecoration programme at her second home in London. She gave her Lambeth flat a £22,000 facelift, including £6,100 for a new bathroom, £600 towards the £1,300 cost of two Persian rugs and £518 for an LCD television. The cost to the taxpayer would have been even greater if the parliamentary fees office had not refused to pay for other items deemed “excessive”, that included two limited edition etchings by the artist Phil Greenwood which cost a total of £725, and £1,105 of decorating work for which the bill was put in too late.
In January 2007 Miss Jones announced that she would not be standing at the next general election, but the refurbishment of her London flat carried on, with another £6,761 spent on renovations. Miss Jones claimed £5,074 for a painter and decorator. In addition she claimed for 11 rolls of block printed Farrow & Ball “St Antoine” wallpaper, at £63.99 per roll; eight rolls of Farrow & Ball Toile Trellis wallpaper at £52 per roll, and £71.50 for Farrow & Ball paint.
Miss Jones, who published details of her expenses on her website, said she had decorated her London home to a similar standard to her constituency home, often using the same brands, such as the Farrow & Ball wallpaper, which she regarded as being “in both the spirit and letter of the rules as I understood them”.
Many of the claims submitted by Miss Jones appear highly questionable in the light of rules set out in the parliamentary Green Book, which ban claims for any items which are “luxurious or premium grade” or work which “enhances” a property.
The mother of two also submitted invoices for £323 for two pictures, £1,298 for a bed from the Iron Bed Company, £600 for bookshelves and £878 for new floorboards.
An £815 bill for the replacement of two radiators was submitted twice and appeared to have been paid for twice. She said the old bathroom had been “tatty and unhygienic” and that she would contact the fees office to see if the plumbing bill had been paid twice.
Between 2004 and 2008 she claimed a total of £61,468 in second home allowances for her London flat, where the mortgage interest repayments in 2008 were just £314 per month. She also said she would pay capital gains tax on any profit she made.
WHAT A FUCKING BITCH!!!
Lynne Jones
Job: backbench Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak 1992-2010, Former Focus/Copec Housing Official
Salary: £64,766
Total second home claims:
2004-05: £16,319
2005-06: £17,576
2006-07: £14,045
2007-08: £13,528
Lynne Jones
Job: backbench Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak 1992-2010, Former Focus/Copec Housing Official
Salary: £64,766
Total second home claims:
2004-05: £16,319
2005-06: £17,576
2006-07: £14,045
2007-08: £13,528
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