Ministers are considering asking the Commons authorities to reevaluate rules that permitted a Labour whip to claim £900 in expenses for renting a pet-friendly flat in London. The government plans to lobby the independent expenses regulator to reassess the allowance rules following Taiwo Owatemi’s claim for a pet surcharge requested by her landlord for keeping her dog in the property. The MP for Coventry North West made her claim last summer, and it was approved by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa). However, Dan Jarvis, a security minister, stated that he would not have made such a claim and criticized the rules that allowed his Labour colleague to do so. Jarvis said that the government will be asking Ipsa to examine the rule in detail. It is worth mentioning that the MP has not breached any rules, as she followed the guidelines in place. Owatemi, who owns a cocktail called Bella, submitted her expense claim in August for her rented property in southeast London where she pays £2,340 a month in rent. Ipsa listed the £900 surcharge as a claim for “pet rent.” Parliamentary rules enable MPs representing constituencies outside of London to claim for the rent of a property in the capital in order to attend late-night votes and do other Commons work during the week. Owatemi has shared her love for animals on social media, including a post celebrating National Pet Day with a photo of herself and Bella. Disability rights campaigner Hannah Campbell expressed dismay, stating that, when disability funds are being cut, hearing that an MP received £900 for a dog is shocking. MPs are set to vote in May on the government’s plan to cut disability support payments for hundreds of thousands of people over the next four years.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/30/labour-mp-taiwo-owatemi-pet-rent-minister-dan-jarvis-expenses-rules