Cheryl Gillan, the shadow Welsh secretary, submitted a Sainsbury’s receipt for £27.25 to support her claim for groceries last year that included £4.47 of pet food.
She charged taxpayers for one £3.69 bag of Iams Senior Chicken dry meal meant for older dogs, and two 39p cans of Cesar chicken and turkey meat, along with food and drink for herself.
The claim was approved by the Commons fees office even though it went against the rules of the Additional Costs Allowance that MPs receive for running a second home outside London or their constituencies, currently £24,222 a year.
Only expenses that they themselves incur, and which are essential for their work as a politician, are allowed.
Mrs Gillan is the Conservative MP for Chesham and Amersham, and her designated second home is in Battersea, two miles from the dogs home.
One of her previous dogs, Tizzy, won the Westminster Dog of the Year competition in 1996, while another one Curby, a lhasa apso bitch,
has also taken part in the contest. Mrs Gillan once said: “I love them to bits. They don’t tell you you are ugly, they love you all the time and they are good companions.”
Her expenses files, seen by The Daily Telegraph as part of its investigation into how the system has been exploited by some MPs to renovate their entire homes or develop property portfolios, also show that in 2004-05, she claimed back the £305.50 cost to “cure noise problems” with her boiler.
She also put through claims for gas bills when her account was in credit.
In April 2008, Mrs Gillan claimed back a £72.27 gas bill even though the statement showed her account was £26.72 in credit. The following month she claimed £66.15 when her account was £64.35 in credit.
In both cases, the fees office spotted it and reduced the payment. Mrs Gillan said: “In one year two gas bills contained duplicate information for a period of three months, this was identified by the fees office so the payment to me under the ACA was reduced accordingly.
“I mistakenly submitted a food bill which contained items for which I did not intend to claim. I will repay the amount.
“The boiler broke down. A plumber repaired it. This is within the rules.”
- Cheryl Gillan
Job: shadow Welsh secretary
Salary: £64,766
Total second home claims
2004-05: £20,898
2005-06: £21,634
2006-07: £22,110
2007-08: £23,057
