A LABOUR MP made taxpayers pick up the £174 bill for pot plants, a Christmas tree and decorations for his office.
Perran Moon’s spending led to allegations of a “lack of respect” over expenses.
He paid nearly £90 for plants and pots from TradePoint for his constituency office in January.
They included a Boston fern, a dumb cane plant and £19 for a trendy seagrass pot, according to receipts.
The MP for Camborne and Redruth, in Cornwall, separately claimed £65 for festive decorations from B&Q in December last year.
It included a 7ft 6in artificial Christmas tree for £32, a packet of decorations for £19 and a peace lily in a ceramic pot for £12.
The claim was registered as “office Christmas decorations, plus decorative plant” on the expenses watchdog’s website.
Mr. Moon, who was elected during Sir Keir Starmer’s landslide victory last summer, also submitted an additional invoice that month totaling £23 for Christmas lights and a glittery gold star purchased from Tesco.
While the charges are technically allowed – a lot of MPs do not claim for decorations and plants.
Mr Moon, a former marketing consultant, agreed to repay the costs after he was approached by the Sun on Sunday.
John O’Connell, the chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, commented, “Taxpayers are fed up with repeatedly witnessing MPs handle their constituents’ money with such disregard.
“Regardless of the official guidelines, politicians should clearly understand how voters will perceive them when they expense items like Christmas lights and decorations.”
“MPs need to cough up and start paying for these items from their own pockets.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Mr Moon has taken action to repay the cost of these items.”
