A leading Labour MP has been branded a "disgrace" after using taxpayers' cash to cover pet rent for her "furry friend" at her London home.
Coventry North West MP Taiwo Owatemi, who serves as Sir Keir Starmer's Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, claimed £900-a-year extra in rent to keep her pet pooch Bella with her just weeks after the 2024 General Election.
Bombshell documents revealed Owatemi made the pet rent claim last August alongside other housing costs.
Labour sources pointed out it is common for London landlords to charge extra rent for tenants to keep pets.
Owatemi regularly posts pictures of her cockapoo Bella on social media, including images of her four-legged friend on the campaign trail and Christmas cards featuring her beloved dog.
The "pet for rent" row echoes infamous examples from the 2009 MPs' expenses scandal, including an MP "mistakenly" claiming dog food.
Labour MP Taiwo Owatemi used taxpayers' cash to cover 'pet rent' at London home
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Owatemi, who alongside all other MPs recently received a bumper pay rise to take her salary to £93,904-a-year, can claim expenses to cover both work and living given her constituency is outside of London.
A recent filing on Companies House showed Owatemi's London address was in Plumstead, where the 32-year-old grew up.
She paid £2,340 per month in recent and data from Rightmove revealed the average house price on her street was £315,000, according to The Sunday Times.
However, Owatemi's claim was even more controversial given she is currently trying to quell a potential rebellion on the Government's plan to slash Britain's ballooning benefits bill by £5billion.
Whitehall assessments have indicated that the move will drive 250,000 Britons into relative poverty, including 50,000 children.
Hannah Campbell, 41, who lost her leg while serving in Iraq, voiced her outrage at Owatemi's £900 claim.
The mother-of-three told The Sun on Sunday: “This is a disgrace.
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Sir Keir Starmer alongside Taiwo Owatemi
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“It’s one set of rules for them and one set of rules 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.”
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, added: “It’s surely enough for MPs to get the rent on a second home paid for without the need to pick up the tab for their furry friends as well.
“No one begrudges a politician wanting a pet, but they should pay for the cost themselves.”
Despite the fury, a Labour Party spokesman defended Owatemi's pet claim.
Taiwo Owatemi
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“MPs are required to work in two locations, and this is a requirement for living in this house," he said.
“It is the same for many other MPs and has been approved by the parliamentary expenses watchdog.”
A spokesman for the expenses watchdog IPSA added: “MPs are required to work in two places: their constituency and in Westminster.
“IPSA is committed to supporting a Parliament where people without the private finances to fund working from two locations themselves 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."
