Mr Goggins shares the house in south-east London with Chris Bain, who is the director of the Catholic aid charity Cafod and a friend since university.
They have lived together for the past 11 years. For the past three years, Mr Goggins, the MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, has designated the property as his “second home” and claimed almost £45,000 in expenses for it. He did not tell the Commons fees office that he shared it.
Mr Goggins claimed for the entire £600 a month mortgage interest, annual council tax and utility bills.
He said Mr Bain, who earned £76,000 a year, had contributed to the costs between 1998 and 2003, when they were not met by taxpayers. After being approached by The Telegraph yesterday, the men said the arrangement was no longer appropriate and they would repay a large amount based on a “thorough assessment” of how many nights Mr Bain stayed there.
In February 2008, Mr Goggins paid Mr Bain £3,829 for the installation of a new kitchen in the house. They said that the money had then been given to Mr Bain’s brother, Don, who carried out the work.
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