Michael Clapham claimed glasses for his wife.

Oink oink oink, another New Labour pig and his sow of a wife milk the taxpayers of more cash....

The fees office reduced the payout to £50, telling him: “Your claim for spectacles for Yvonne Clapham has been reduced to £50 as this is the maximum sum which is allowable for spectacles under this allowance.”

The former miner also claimed £19.97 on the office budget - or incidental expenditure provision (IEP) - for an iron from Asda and £64.93 for a dinner service, plates and mugs from Next in the Meadowhall shopping centre near Rotherham. While the crockery claim was rejected by Commons officials, the household appliance was approved.

The MP for Barnsley West and Penistone also took advantage of the generous thresholds for sundry payments on his second home additional costs allowance (ACA) by claiming £20,860 for cleaning and groceries over five years at his south London home without having to submit a single receipt.

MPs are entitled to claim up to £250 for cleaning and £400 for food without submitting receipts. By claiming under those amounts, Mr Clapham was able to recoup £5,266 from cleaning and £15,594 for groceries at his London flat between 2004-05 and 2007-08 without providing any receipts.

He also claimed £1,500 on the ACA for replacing flagstones in the backyard of the London property, £80 for re-cording sash windows, £892 of self-assembly bedroom furniture from MFI, £766 for a television bench, bookcases and shelving from Ikea, £299 for the deposit on a new fire, £120 for towels, a bath mat, a glass trinket and six white wine glasses from Ikea.

Plus a hat tip to the commentator who added these to his list of "stolen" items claimed for 2 netgear wireless routers - twice. once in october 07 then again in january 08 - £137.51 x2...
Tax return and 'tax advice on principal private residence' - £575.75

32" LG LCD TV - £754.94 and he voted against an amendment that would have made MPs require a receipt for every expense.

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