Anne Cryer and son John both claimed for flat owned by her daughter

Ann Cryer, who is still the Labour MP for Keighley, billed the taxpayer for the cost of living in a Westminster flat owned by her daughter Jane Kilduff and her husband, which they later sold for a big profit. At the same time, her son John Cryer, then MP for Hornchurch, also claimed the additional costs allowance on the flat.

The expenses files show that in 2004, both Mrs Cryer and her son designated the flat in Westminster as their second home for the purposes of claiming the additional costs allowance. Mrs Cryer paid her daughter £1,200 a month in rent, while Mr Cryer claimed £400 a month for food.

Mr Cryer, who represented the Essex constituency, 15 miles from Westminster, until he lost the seat in the 2005 election, completed his second home claim forms without including an address.

When the fees office asked him to supply one, Mr Cryer wrote: "Further to our conversation of a few weeks ago, I confirm that I sometimes stay overnight at my sister's flat". He then gave the address of the flat also named by Mrs Cryer.

Jane and her husband David Kilduff had bought the Westminster flat in 2001 for £435,000. They sold it in 2006, for £635,000 – an uplift of £200,000.

Mrs Kilduff, known professionally by her maiden name of Jane Cryer, is the divisional Crown Prosecutor for the CPS in Calderdale, West Yorkshire.

Her husband is a partner at solicitors Walker Morris in Leeds. The law firm's website says Mr Kilduff is "a nationally recognised leader in the field of public sector law, including experience in all aspects of powers, procurement, joint ventures and, more recently, the PFI and PPP in local government, health, education and defence sectors".

Mrs Cryer granted Mr Kilduff a parliamentary pass, which allowed him access to the House of Commons. After Mrs Cryer moved out of her daughter's flat, she bought another flat in the apartment block next door for £285,000 which she designated her second home.

She then claimed £10,126 for stamp duty and legal fees relating to the purchase of the new flat. She also spent a total of £3,243 on household goods. Mrs Cryer recently showed receipts to her local newspaper and said she had put her life savings into the new flat. "I really was trying to be Mrs Virtuous," said Mrs Cryer. "It saddens me some people have stretched their claims."

Mrs Cryer took out a mortgage of £150,000 on the new flat and claimed the mortgage interest payments.

In total, Mrs Cryer, who has been an MP since 1997, claimed £82,670 in four years.

SNAPSHOT

Ann Cryer

Job: backbench Labour MP for Keighley

Salary: £64,766

Total second home claims

2004-05: £20,160

2005-06: £21,634

2006-07: £21,111

2007-08: £19,765


John Cryer

Job: former Labour MP for Hornchurch

Salary: £57,485 in 2004

Total second home claims

2004-05: £4,571

2005-06: N/A

2006-07: N/A

2007-08: N/A