A LABOUR MP made taxpayers pick up the £174 bill for pot plants, a Christmas tree and decorations for his office.
Perran Moon’s spending led to allegations of a “lack of respect” over expenses.
GettyHe bought a a peace lily in a ceramic pot for £12[/caption]
B&QHe bought a 7ft 6in artificial Christmas tree for £32[/caption]
Labour MP Perran MoonSupplied
He paid nearly £90 for plants and pots from TradePoint for his constituency office in January.
They included a Boston fern, a dumb cane plant and £19 for a trendy seagrass pot, according to receipts.
The MP for Camborne and Redruth, in Cornwall, separately claimed £65 for festive decorations from B&Q in December last year.
It included a 7ft 6in artificial Christmas tree for £32, a packet of decorations for £19 and a peace lily in a ceramic pot for £12.
The claim was registered as “office Christmas decorations, plus decorative plant” on the expenses watchdog’s website.
Mr Moon, elected last summer in Sir Keir Starmer’s landslide, also submitted another invoice that month for £23 for Christmas lights and a gold glitter star from Tesco.
While the charges are technically allowed – a lot of MPs do not claim for decorations and plants.
Mr Moon, a former marketing consultant, agreed to repay the costs after he was approached by the Sun on Sunday.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers are tired of seeing MPs time and time again treating their constituents’ cash with such a lack of respect.
“Whatever the formal rules, it should be obvious to politicians what voters will think of them expensing things like Christmas lights and decorations.
“MPs need to cough up and start paying for these items from their own pockets.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Mr Moon has taken action to repay the cost of these items.”
GettyHouses of Parliament, London, UK.[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
