Humfrey Malins said that he spent two nights a week at the flat in Westminster while Parliament was sitting. Based on his second home claims, this represents an average cost to the taxpayer of £240 per night. A night in a top five-star London hotel costs about £250.
Neighbours who The Daily Telegraph spoke to yesterday said that they had never met the MP, who has served as a shadow home affairs minister, but were familiar with his children, Katherine, 26, and her younger brother Harry.
Both Mr Malins’s children have worked as his parliamentary assistants, and his wife, Lynda, is his part-time secretary. The MP admitted that his daughter, who worked for a firm based a few minutes’ walk from the flat in Victoria, “stayed there a great deal,” but added: “My daughter did not make it her permanent full-time home — as with many children of that age she tended to be all over the place.”
Miss Malins’s name appears on a television licence which the MP submitted as part of his expense claims in 2004. Throughout his daughter’s stays, Mr Malins claimed a second home discount on his council tax; this is granted only when no one lives in a property full time.
After Miss Malins left the flat to live with her boyfriend, the MP’s son began to stay at the property, also rent-free.
Mr Malins said that he had recently decided to stop claiming second home expenses, and so was permitting Harry to live there full time. In the past five years, the MP has claimed more than £20,000 on his parliamentary expenses for furnishing and renovating the flat, a small two-bedroom property. The work included a new bathroom costing £6,335, rewiring for £5,824, double glazing which cost £1,639 and a £4 lavatory brush set.
He said that all of the claims were “proper and reasonable”.
A neighbour said: “He did huge renovations, it was a full scale overhaul. I wanted to use the same guy but his prices were too high.”
The neighbour, who confirmed that she had never met Mr Malins, added: “Katherine left last year to live with the boyfriend and it was empty for a few months.
“Their post was often left in the tray, every now and then someone would come and pick it up. Harry has been here a few months.”
Mr Malins’s files show that he engaged in regular correspondence with the fees office about the property.
In 2004, he wrote explaining that he was submitting a claim for £1,400 for unpaid water bills dating back to 2001, when his flat had been let by a tenant.
He said: “Dreadful tenant [redacted] left — I’m responsible: for water rates since July 01 but they never sent me a bill at all. Perhaps I should have noticed but I never did!”
The following year, after an exchange of letters about his desire to install a £6,000 bathroom, he is said to have telephoned to “rant” at officials.
Mr Malins said: “During the years mentioned I have stayed overnight in London on countless occasions especially when there was a late vote followed by an early morning meeting."
“I estimate that I stayed in London on average twice a week, when it was necessary to do so, and occasionally even more. In the recesses I rarely stayed in London."
“Katherine did not live there full-time but stayed there for some periods.
“My son has been an infrequent stayer at the flat and did not live there in the sense implied."
“I told the fees office in writing that I was making no more claims on the ACA and accordingly I am permitting my son to stay in the flat with effect from a week ago."
“I believe my conduct has been perfectly proper throughout."
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