The above cottage, situated near Cardigan, west Wales, has cost us £140,000 so far.
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, the children's minister, was born in London and lived in the capital for the first 42 years of her life before becoming a peer five years ago.
A few months after entering the Lords she and her husband bought the above small cottage for £147,000, then designated it as her 'main residence' even though she continued to live in her London home and the cottage is a five-hour journey from her place of work.
This has allowed her to claim the night subsistence for ministers living outside London. The sum is now £38,280 a year and is paid automatically by her department along with her £73,600 salary because she said she lived outside London.
Baroness Morgan is the person responsible for the proposals to introduce criminal record checks for parents who ferry children to sports or social events.
Lsst week Morgan's sister-in-law was staying at the cottage and neighbours said it was often used by Morgan's family and friends. The next door neighbour said: "It's a holiday home ... I haven't seen Delyth for around, oh, a couple of weeks ... I think she lives up near London somewhere."
Yesterday, Morgan issued a statement saying she had "always adhered to the rules on allowances." She said her work had been predominantly in London but she divided her time between the capital and Wales. She said she considered herself Welsh and had relatives there. She initially stated : "I have had a family home in west Wales since 1986." However, she later clarified she was referring to a home owned by her parents. She added: " I moved back with my parents to Wales in 1986 where I have spent much of the last 23 years. I bought a property in Wales at the first opportunity in 2004."
A wee bit more investigative journalism would surely show when she bought her London property. Then we would know if she had been living in west Wales during the ten years she was the CEO of Breakthrough Breast Cancer before she became involved full-time in politics and paid by the taxpayers.
Baroness Scotland last week, Baroness Morgan this week - who will it be next week I wonder.
Source: Sunday Times
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