MPs face new expenses clampdown after Labour politician billed taxpayers £900 to cover ‘pet rent’ for her cockapoo to live in second home

MPs could face a new expenses clampdown after a Labour whip billed taxpayers for  £900 to cover the cost of keeping her cockapoo at her second home in London.

Taiwo Owatemi had her claim for ‘pet rent’ approved by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) so she could keep Bella with her in the capital instead of in her Coventry North West constituency.

No rules have been broken but campaigners have lashed out at the perk enjoyed by politicians while they are pushing through benefit cuts worth billions of pounds.

A Labour Party source last said it was common for landlords to charge an extra levy for renters to keep a dog.

But minister Dan Jarvis today said the government would ask Ipsa to alter the rules.

Admitting it was ‘not a good look’, he told broadcaster LBC: ‘I wouldn’t do that, haven’t done that. Therefore, I think it can’t be right that the rules allow any Member of Parliament to do that.

‘That is why the Government will be making representations to Ipsa, to ask them to look very carefully at the detail of this particular rule.

‘It’s important to say that the MP in question, she hasn’t done anything wrong in that she’s followed the rules as they are at the moment, but we don’t think that those rules can be right and that’s why the government will flag it with Ipsa.’

Taxpayers have picked up the bill for party whip Taiwo Owatemi, Labour MP for Coventry North West, to allow her dog to stay at her second home in the capital

Labour Party sources said it was common for landlords to charge an extra levy for renters to keep a dog

Minister Dan Jarvis today said the government would ask Ipsa to alter the rules.

Disability campaigner Hannah Campbell, a war hero who lost her left leg in Iraq in 2007, told The Sun on Sunday: ‘This is a disgrace – one set of rules for them and one set for everyone else. They are not leading by example.

‘When disability money is being cut, to hear that an MP has received £900 for a dog really is shocking.’

Labour Party sources said it was common for landlords to charge an extra levy for renters to keep a dog.

A spokesman said: ‘MPs are required to work in two locations, and this is a requirement for living in this house. It is the same for many other MPs and has been approved by the parliamentary expenses watchdog.’

While the MP has not broken the rules, the row echoes the 2009 MPs’ expenses scandal, when politicians faced savage criticism for claiming for items including duck houses.

Ms Owatemi, a 32-year-old qualified pharmacist, was first elected in 2019. 

She is married with a young daughter and frequently posts on social media on behalf of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and other pet charities.

Last year on X she posted that ‘as the proud owner of a gorgeous cockapoo called Bella, I am always happy to hear about the amazing work they do in regards to rehoming and pet welfare’.

The Labour MP posted a picture of her beloved pet on a Valentine’s Day card on social media

Labour Party sources said it was common for landlords to charge an extra levy for renters to keep a dog.

She also posted about national pet day with a photograph of her and Bella together, writing: ‘Today we celebrate the joy our pets bring to our lives.’

Companies House shows her London address was registered in Plumstead, southeast London – which is where she grew up. 

She paid £2,340 a month in rent, according to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa). 

Data from Rightmove shows the average house price on her street is around £315,000.

The pet rent claim is the latest in a long list in an expenses scandal that has embarrassed MPs.

It is not known how many other MPs have claimed ‘pet rent’ for their animals to stay with them in London.

PM Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria attended a Taylor Swift gig at Wembley Stadium last June

Ms Reeves accepted free tickets to watch pop star Sabrina Carpenter – who opened for Taylor Swift in the US leg of the Eras Tour – in a corporate box

The revelation comes just a week after Rachel Reeves came under fire for accepting £600 seats in a corporate box at a Sabrina Carpenter concert.

It brought to mind a similar scandal last year when it emerged the Prime Minister and his Cabinet were enjoying lavish freebies including clothing and concert tickets.

Ms Reeves was last year forced to vow not to accept any clothing as Chancellor after it was revealed she had taken £7,500 for outfits while in opposition.

Sir Keir Starmer, who received £32,000 for clothes from Labour donor Lord Alli, had to pay back thousands of pounds in gifts, including tickets to see Taylor Swift.

Ms Reeves defended taking the VIP tickets at the O2 in London on security grounds, claiming she could not sit with other fans because she requires close protection as a senior minister.

‘I do now have security which means it’s not as easy as it would’ve been in the past to just sit in a concert, although that would probably be a lot easier for everyone concerned,’ Ms Reeves told the BBC.

Asked if she paid for the tickets, she replied: ‘Obviously I’ll declare the value of them, but they weren’t tickets that you were able to buy.’

But she faced a backlash – including from within her own party – at a time when she is also being accused of ushering in a new era of austerity in order to balance the books.

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