Gwyn Prosser paid his brother for 400-mile trip to lay flooring

Gwyn Prosser said he informed the fees office that he was employing his brother

Huw Prosser, who lived near Swansea, was paid £650 of public money to lay flooring at the flat in 2006.

The same year, Gwyn Prosser, the MP for Dover and Deal, also made claims totalling £2,782 for work at another flat he owned in London, even though it had not been his designated second home for three years and he was renting it out.

The claims will raise concerns over the way in which some MPs used second home allowances to build up property portfolios.

The MP bought his first London flat in Elephant and Castle upon his election in 1997 for £54,000. It is now believed to be worth at least £130,000. It was his designated second home until 2003, when he bought a second flat a 10-minute walk away and rented out the first property.

He changed his second home designation to the new flat, but in March 2006 Mr Prosser attempted to recoup the costs of work on his first flat three years previously.

"I moved from my first London flat in August 2003 but I find that I have outstanding liabilities for works," he wrote to the fees office, including a bill for "consideration" relating to the first property he had bought in London.

Mr Prosser added that he had been notified of work for asbestos removal costing £978 and a new door entry system costing £1,804 in early 2003, before he had rented out the flat, so the fees office accepted the claim.

"Both invoices were issued after I left the flat and there has been a considerable amount of discussion and confusion," added the MP.

Yesterday, Mr Prosser said: "I was living in the flat when the notices were published and the work was carried out. Six months later I moved to my current flat. The invoices for payment should have been sent to me when I was still resident and had they done this my ACA claim would have been settled forthwith."

He said he informed the fees office that he was employing his brother.

"I phoned a number of London contractors and their estimates for the flooring job alone was more than £200 more than my brother's charge for the whole job so it was good value for money," he said. "My claims for second homes allowance are substantially below the maximum and I'm confident that they will all stand up to the scrutiny of the Standards Commission."


SNAPSHOT

Gwyn Prosser

Job: backbench Labour MP

Salary: £64,766

Total second home claims

2004-05: £18,397

2005-06: £20,707

2006-07: £17,713

2007-08: £14,611