Caravan loving former Tourism MP to repay expenses
- Friday, 5 February 2010
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Last year the MP attended the Tourism Alliance reception at
Westminster during British Tourism Week to help promote tourism to and within Britain.
It was at the event that she revealed she had previously owned to caravans and
hopes to buy another when her husband retires, to tour the country. She also
discussed the joys of caravanning: ‘Going somewhere in a caravan means having
your own pillows and making tea the way you like it,' she said ‘it is very
British; utterly individual whilst conforming on the exterior.'
The Stevenage MP claimed for mobile security patrols at her second home,
telephone lines, insurance for fine artwork, boiler insurance and pest control.
Sir Thomas Legg's review ordered Mrs Follett to repay £34,776.30 for mobile
security patrols at her second home, £4,454.18 for six telephone lines at her
second home which were deemed ‘excessive' in the report. Mrs Follett was also told
to repay £2812.95 for an additional household insurance premium for fine art,
which the report stated was ‘not allowable'. She also received £221 twice for
boiler insurance and £193.78 for pest control for an address other than her
second home. The 67-year-old has already repaid the amount in full and
announced in October that she will be standing down at the next election.
The Labour MP said in a statement: ‘I have repaid the total amount in full and
am pleased that this matter has now been resolved.
‘I claimed these amounts in good faith in accordance with the rules at the
time. ‘But as an independent review has now shown these to be vague and deeply
flawed, I feel it is only right to repay them.
‘This has been a sad and sorry episode in Britain's political life which I
deeply regret.'
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