Are MPs' home expenses too lavish?How much would you spend fitting out your kitchen? You can get a pretty decent one from Ikea for between £1,000 and £3,000. But apparently that's not good enough for our MPs who can claim up to £10,000 for a new kitchen on expenses, plus another £12,000 on other household items. The Sun brands the allowance as a "massive 'makeover' perk perk 1 v. perked, perk·ing, perks v.intr. 1. To stick up or jut out: dogs' ears that perk. 2. To carry oneself in a lively and jaunty manner. ", and it is not alone in noting, with barely disguised dis·guise tr.v. dis·guised, dis·guis·ing, dis·guis·es 1. a. To modify the manner or appearance of in order to prevent recognition. b. To furnish with a disguise. 2. outrage, that it's all at the taxpayers' expense. Several papers, including the Guardian, print in full what MPs from outside London can treat themselves to under the Additional Costs Living Allowance to furnish fur·nish tr.v. fur·nished, fur·nish·ing, fur·nish·es 1. To equip with what is needed, especially to provide furniture for. 2. their second homes. After a new kitchen, the most expensive items are a new bathroom (up to £6,335), a suite of furniture (£2,000), a bed (£1,000), a sideboard (£795), and a TV (£750). The Sun notes that the "John Lewis list", so called because the costs are based on goods that can be bought from the department store, is beyond the means of what most ordinary voters can afford for their first and only home. The Daily Mail splutters with outrage that "MPs can shop till they drop... on the taxpaper", noting that the maximum claim of £300 for rugs could buy you "a luxury hand-knotted Pakistan Bokhara rug", which is described on the John Lewis website as "soft and velvety vel·vet·y adj. vel·vet·i·er, vel·vet·i·est 1. Suggestive of the texture of velvet; soft and smooth: velvety skin. 2. ". The Telegraph observes that disclosure of the 38 item list of luxury goods MPs from outside London can choose from to furnish their second homes in the capital only came as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request that parliament spent months trying to supress. The paper says the House of Commons House of Commons: see Parliament. director of resources, Andrew Walker Andrew Walker may refer to:
But MPs' days of lavish living could be numbered as a full list of allowances they've claimed since 2004 is set to be made public by the end of the year. Disgraced dis·grace n. 1. Loss of honor, respect, or reputation; shame. 2. The condition of being strongly and generally disapproved. 3. Tory MP Derek Conway This article is about the British politician. For the fictional character from the TV series The Bill, see Derek Conway (The Bill). Derek Leslie Conway, TD (February 15, 1953) is a British politician and Member of Parliament. might want to disappear in Panama before then - just as long as he doesn't claim the flight back. As for the rest, basing their expenses on the price list of the Argos catalogue might be a good place to start. 
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