Rachel Reeves is believed to have lived within the flat for round 19 months, since July 2024.
Rachel Reeves has used public cash to fund the upgrades at Downing Road (Picture: Getty)
Rachel Reeves has sparked outrage after it was revealed she spent almost £20,000 of taxpayer cash on furnishing her flat. The Chancellor is believed to be dwelling above 10 Downing Road, the identical residence the place Rishi Sunak lived, nonetheless, the Tory predecessor is known to have paid for the upgrades himself.
Sunak and his spouse, Akshata Murty, paid a “substantial, undisclosed value” to upholsterer John Challis to refurnish the place to an expensive commonplace, together with opulent curtains and velvet sofas, in response to a profile in Tatler. Nonetheless, Labour admitted final Friday that £19,759.61 of public cash has been spent on furnishings at 10 Downing Road since July 4, 2024, when Labour took energy, in response to an open query from Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst.
It appeared that Sunak and his spouse left nothing behind for his or her Labour successors. Labour MP Dan Tomlinson confirmed that “following the departure of earlier occupants, the official Ministerial residence was supplied unfurnished”.
He added that the furnishings “stay Authorities property and will probably be retained for future occupants”.
Authorities paperwork state that utilizing public funds to furnish the property is commonplace follow, and an allowance of £30,000 per 12 months is supplied to keep up it. Nonetheless, the numerous value has triggered anger among the many public.
The admin of Get up Britain, a Reform UK supporting group, ranted on X: “That is the Chancellor who retains telling the nation there are ‘powerful decisions’ forward and that departments will face painful selections on tax, spending and welfare. However when it got here to her personal consolation, she reached straight for our pockets.”
Reeves isn’t the one one to come back beneath scrutiny for her upgrades. Boris Johnson was topic to an investigation over the key £112,000 refit of 11 Downing Road throughout his time in workplace, carried out by designer Lulu Lytle. It had been paid for by a rich Tory donor, Lord Brownlow, and Johnson later repaid the price in full.
In accordance with the Cupboard Workplace annual report from 2022-23, the Authorities is “legally required to keep up the advanced to the excessive requirements applicable to its Grade 1 and a pair of listed standing in session with Historic England”.
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“Throughout successive governments, Prime Ministers have acquired an annual allowance of as much as £30,000 a 12 months from the general public purse to contribute in direction of the prices related to sustaining and furnishing the residency inside the Downing Road property,” it added.
It confirmed that within the 12 months to March 31, 2023, some £7,015 was spent on works for the 11 Downing Road residence, when Johnson and Rishi Sunak had been in energy, and Liz Truss had a flash within the pan as Prime Minister.
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