Phil Willis spent thousands on a flat where his daughter now lives

Mr Willis said his daughter had never been a 'permanent resident' in the flat

Mr Willis, who represents Harrogate and Knaresborough, claimed on his expenses for the full interest costs of the home loan at his London flat as well as getting it rewired and repainted.

Phil Willis's daughter Rachel Willis, an actress and model

He bought a flat next door and his former flat is now occupied solely by his daughter Rachel, a former model who appeared in a series of television adverts for the internet service provider AOL. Her father has since claimed more than £2,500 in stamp duty and fees and £3,000 on further improvements on the new flat which he has designated his second home, the deeds for are held jointly between himself and his daughter. Mr Willis’s main home is near his constituency and he initially nominated as his second home a basement flat in south London that he bought a decade ago.

Since 2004-05 he has charged taxpayers £12,653 for mortgage interest payments on the property, as well as £1,275 for a new electrical system and £1,036 for drain clearing. He put in a £2,150 bill for decoration less than two weeks after he was returned to Parliament in 2005. In April 2007, he bought the neighbouring basement flat for £215,000, and designated it as his second home - claiming £2,713.68 in stamp duty and legal fees. His mortgage interest claims more than doubled to £806.65.

His daughter, who had been staying at the first flat intermittently, became its sole occupant.

Mr Willis then claimed for a £1,700 decoration bill and charged £1,188.65 for a “rather modest” bathroom suite for the new flat.

Land Registry documents show Mr Willis and his wife, Heather, are still the registered owners of the first flat. This means public money has been spent on a flat now inhabited by the MP’s daughter, and on a property in which she has a joint interest. Rules state that members cannot claim for costs that benefit anyone other than themselves.

Mr Willis on Tuesday night said his daughter had never been a “permanent resident” in the flat. He also said the two flats were registered jointly with his wife and daughter respectively, because he had suffered a stroke, and was concerned for his health. He said: “At no time have I knowingly made claims that attempted to abuse the Additional Costs Allowance. I have publicly supported Nick Clegg’s campaign that any capital gain made as a direct result of taxpayers’ money should be returned to the fees office on sale of the property, which in my case, means for both flats 1 and 2.”



Phil Willis

Job: backbench Lib-Dem MP

Salary: £64,766

Total second home claims

2004-05: £17,058

2005-06: £18,527

2006-07: £22,110

2007-08: £22,905