A senior Labour MP’s £900 “pet rent” expenses claim has prompted ministers to call for a review of what MPs can claim back.
Taiwo Owatemi, a government whip and the MP for Coventry North West, made the claim after the landlord at her second home in London charged her extra to allow her cockapoo, Bella, to stay at the property.
Parliamentary authorities paid the £900 claim, submitted as “pet rent” in August 2024, as it is not in breach of the current rules governing MPs’ expenses.
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It is not known how many other MPs claim for pet surcharges as they are not normally listed individually, but included in rent claims.
The rules say MPs, who will now earn £93,904 a year after a recent pay rise, can claim expenses to help cover work and living costs in London if their constituency is outside the capital.
Disability campaigners have called the claim a “disgrace” as Ms Owatemi, 32, is currently helping the government push through £5bn in cuts to disability benefits.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance called on MPs to pay for their pets out of their own pockets.
Security minister Dan Jarvis has now said the government will urge the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) to change the rules.
He said Ms Owatemi had followed the rules and did nothing wrong, but told 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, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, to ask them to look very carefully at the detail of this particular rule.”
Ms Owatemi, who became an MP in 2019, often posts on social media about her dog, and is a supporter of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and other animal charities.
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IPSA told Sky News it gave the MP “incorrect advice” as to how the surcharge should be described.
“We have apologised directly to the MP and are sorry for any confusion,” a spokesman said.
He added that IPSA is committed to helping MPs fund having to work in both Westminster and their constituency so those without the private finances to do so “are not prevented from becoming an MP”.
“That is why we fund accommodation costs, within strict limits. It is common for landlords to include additional surcharges in rental agreements,” he said.
