Reid even put bar tip on expenses

Jun 24 2009 by Richard Mooney, Wishaw Press

SHOTTS MP John Reid has claimed for a bar tip, his laundry, tobacco, an LCD television, fancy chocolates, nearly £9000 in home refurbishments, a woman’s fashion magazine and advice on his tax returns in his expenses.

Last week a full list of MPs’ receipts dating back to 2004 was published by the House of Commons and it has revealed several things about the Celtic chairman’s Parliamentary spending.

Dr Reid (62), who has claimed for a total of £499,168 in allowances over the last five years, has been reimbursed – courtesy of the taxpayer – for a £1.50 bar tip, a £139.99 Sony Ericsson Z200 mobile phone, a £89.99 Goodmans microwave oven, a £119.99 Beko fridge, £1.36 for tobacco, £2.58 for Typhoo tea bags, £50 in top-up vouchers, an £89 Pure Evoke digital radio, three gift bags at £2.70, £17.99 for Coffret Guanaja chocolates, a £24.99 Matsui set top box, a £7.99 JVC SCART cable, £3.60 for women’s fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar, 48p for a Morrisons toilet cleaner, £599.99 for a Panasonic LCD television and £1.50 for a copy of Private Eye.

In 2007 Dr Reid claimed for £25.97 spent in WH Smith. He bought three books – The Islamist, Londonistan and The Meaning of the 21st Century – and a £7.99 book light.

During September/October 2006 Dr Reid also claimed for an undisclosed item priced at £79.95 from Flowers Plus in Airdrie and also a £1.19 packet of Canderel mints.

The Airdrie and Shotts MP, who earns £64,766 a year, also claimed for a £1.50 bar tip and a £5 laundry charge on behalf of the taxpayer at a hotel in November 2007.

During that time the then Home Secretary claimed for £3773 on services/maintenance in his additional costs allowance, £2387 of which was on a new bathroom and £1328 on tiles.

Included in that bill was two gold bath and taps kits at £539.99 each, two mahogany bath panels at £25 each, a shell toilet and sink pack at £159.99, a white pivot door at £99, a side panel at £67.50, a £75 castone tray, a £29.99 black glitter toilet seat, £39.99 on chrome basin taps, a £49 bath screen, two 9.5kw electric showers at £240, £49.99 on a mirror, two toilet roll holders at £39.98, three toilet rings at £59.97, two stainless steel cabinets at £179.98, two double towel rails at £79.98, a £14.99 gold shower plug hole, £14.99 on lightbulbs and £29.99 on lights.

Also during this time Dr Reid spent £24.99 on Malaki natural bed linen and £9.99 for a cream light shade. After selling the home in March 2007, Dr Reid returned some of the cost of the new bathroom in a £1886 cheque sent to the Parliamentary Fees Office.

Despite only having mortgage payments of £80 per month, Dr Reid still claimed £20,596 for his second homes allowance between April 2006 and March 2007.

In total he spent £8890 of taxpayer’s money refurbishing his Airdrie home.

As of March 2008 the former Cabinet Minister has claimed for a total of £881,579 in Parliamentary allowances since 2001.

Despite several attempts by the Wishaw Press to contact Dr Reid, his Airdrie office asked us to e-mail him with questions regarding his expenses, to which he still hasn’t replied.

However, in a statement issued to us regarding his expenses last month, he said: “When I moved, after staying in the same constituency home for over 21 years, all legitimate costs were approved and were within the rules of the House of Commons authorities.”

What do you think of this? Is your local MP worth your tax money? Get it touch with us on (01698) 373111 or email us at wishawpress@s-un.co.uk

To view your MP’s expenses visit www.parliament.uk, or to question Dr Reid about his own, email him at reidj@parliament.uk, call his constituency office on (01236) 748777, or at the House of Commons on (020) 721 93000.