 Parliament
publishes Brown's home expenses
The House of Commons released
details of expenses claimed by 14 senior MPs including Prime
Minister Gordon Brown on Friday after giving up a legal battle to
keep them secret. Three boxes of documents were handed over... The
House of Commons released details of expenses claimed by 14 senior
MPs including Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Friday after giving up
a legal battle to keep them secret.
Three boxes of documents were handed over to reporters in response
to freedom of information requests made by three journalists. |
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They relate to claims made under
an allowance given to MPs to cover the running costs of their
constituency home while staying in London to attend the House of
Commons.
Commons authorities said on Monday they would no longer pursue legal
action to prevent publication, after losing a High Court battle last
week. |
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The House of Commons had argued
that the release of the expenses information would be "unlawfully
intrusive" and would reveal sensitive information such as home
addresses.
Some details in the documents released were blanked out, including
the address of Brown's home in his Scottish constituency of Kirkaldy
and Cowdenbeath. |
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Claims made by Brown included the
cost of subscribing to Sky television, utility bills and 4,471
pounds for refurbishing a kitchen.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair claimed more than 10,600 pounds for
a new kitchen at his home in County Durham, 515 pounds to buy and
fit a dishwasher, as well as interest payments on part of his
295,000 pound mortgage. |
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Opposition Leader David Cameron's
claims were largely restricted to the interest payments on the
350,000 pound mortgage on his Chipping Norton home in Oxfordshire.
"Taxpayers should not be made to pay for Gordon Brown's Sky TV
subscription or Tony Blair's 10,000 pound kitchen," said Matthew
Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance.
"It's clear that this allowance pays for much more than just a base
in London - MPs use it to fund a lifestyle far more comfortable than
their constituents enjoy." |
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