"Former Cabinet Minister Stephen Byers lives rent-free in a flat belonging to girlfriend Jan Cookson – but that didn’t stop him claiming more than £125,000 for it from the taxpayer.
During the past five years the former Trade and Transport Secretary spent £27,000 of taxpayers’ money on redecorating and maintaining it and for appliances to fit it out.
His claims included £12,033 in 2007 for their share of extensive renovations of the building in Camden, North London, which houses the flat and three others.
Lawyer Miss Cookson, his partner of 22 years, bought the flat in 1982. It is not known how much she paid for it, but another flat in the building sold in 2001 for £170,000.
Miss Cookson does not have a mortgage on the flat, meaning under Commons rules Mr Byers cannot claim interest charges.
But Mr Byers, a close ally of Tony Blair, still claimed £126,648 in expenses for the property between 2001 and 2008.
He and Miss Cookson also share a semi-detached house worth £400,000 in Mr Byers’s North Tyneside constituency, which they bought together in 1996. "
You know the drill: read the rest of the article, get angry when you read the excuse "Yesterday Mr Byers said: ‘All of the expenses I have received are within the rules and have been approved by the Commons authorities.’" and then realise that like all of the MPs nothing will be done by way of punishment.
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