MP 'claimed thousands for garden'
Shadow leader of the House Alan Duncan claimed thousands of pounds for his garden before agreeing with the fees office that the spending "could be considered excessive", it has been revealed.
Millionaire Mr Duncan recouped £4,000 over three years.
However, a £3,194 bill for gardening in March 2007 was not paid after officials responded suggesting that the claim might not be "within the spirit" of the rules, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The exchanges were disclosed as the newspaper published the latest details from more than a million leaked claim receipts.
In a letter to the MP for Rutland and Melton, the fees office said that it expected gardening costs "to cover only basic essentials such as grass cutting".
Mr Duncan apparently submitted receipts indicating his gardener was being paid £6 an hour for up to 16 hours a week, even though the property had grounds of less than an acre. In March 2007, Mr Duncan claimed £598 to overhaul a ride-on lawn-mower and then a further £41 to fix a puncture a month later.
Mr Duncan is also said to have claimed £1,400 a month for mortgage interest on his home in Rutland. He bought the large detached house without taking out a mortgage on the property itself in January 1992, shortly before he was elected to parliament. However, it was not until January 2004 that a mortgage was secured against the property.
Mr Duncan told the Daily Telegraph he had initially taken out a mortgage on his London home to buy the Rutland house. He then switched the loan to Rutland in 2004.
