'Only a very small minority of people receive such high rates of housing benefit. The average payment is £81 a week.'

The words of a Department for Work and Pensions spokesman reacting to The Mail story that:

"A single mother-of-six is getting more than £80,000 a year from the taxpayer to live in a £2million mansion in an exclusive London suburb.

Essma Marjam, 34, is given almost £7,000 a month in housing benefits to pay the rent on the five-bedroom villa just yards from Sir Paul McCartney's house and Lord's cricket ground.

She also receives an estimated £15,000 a year in other payouts, such as child benefit, to help look after her children, aged from five months to 14.

The four-storey house in Maida Vale has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a double living room, large fitted kitchen-diner with French doors on to the landscaped garden and a state-of-the art buzzer entry system.

Astonishingly, it is understood Miss Marjam found the house on the internet through a private letting agency, rather than waiting for Westminster council to give her a vacant property on their books.

She then applied to the council for the £1,600-a-week benefit - the maximum amount the council allows."

The key line comes a bit further down the article (my emphasis):

"Miss Marjam said: 'I moved here at the beginning of the month as I'm entitled to a five-bedroom house."

That's Labour Britain in two words - "I'm entitled".

Of course Miss Marjam does not work, as she spends all day looking after her children - Zekia, 14, Abdulhakim, 13, Jihad, 11, Hamza, ten, Ayman, two, and five-month-old Nasir, but according to The Mail she does have

"two large flat-screen televisions and several leather sofas, plus a large amount of children's toys scattered over the wooden floorboards.

During the week, vans from Argos and other home stores dropped off large purchases."

So that's £95,000 a year income (I presume not taxable) paid to a woman who seemingly chooses to have six babies and live off of the State; bloody marvellous.