£450k spent on makeover for baroness’s official home
... including chandelier in the toilet
tHE Labour peer appointed to run the Commonwealth has lavished a fortune on jazzing up her official residence.
Baroness scotland, new political chief of the organisation headed by the Queen, even ordered a designer makeover of her personal bathroom, leaked reports show.
they reveal the budget for doing up her grace-and-favour Mayfair mansion – at public expense – has almost doutwo bled from £230,000 to an estimated £450,000 since she took over.
Baroness scotland, a former Labour Cabinet minister and friend of Cherie Blair, brought in socialite interior designer-tothe-stars Nicky Haslam to advise on the refurbishment.
A ‘ladies’ powder room’ and an ‘extremely expensive’ chandelier were added to the plans, while Dulux paint was replaced by luxury brands such as Farrow & Ball – adding £33,000 in paint alone to the costs.
A Daily Mail investigation also reveals how she has handed lucrative jobs to cronies since she became secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations in April. she has hired spin doctors – including a former PR man to tony Blair – on salaries of £16,000 a month.
the Commonwealth is an association of 53 nations, mostly former British Empire territories, and is one of the causes the Queen is most passionate about. the official residence of the secretary General is six-storey the Garden House.
the decision to re-model it was taken before Baroness scotland took office. Her spokesman denies she ‘authorised or agreed’ any increase. yet since she took over as boss, costs have soared, according to emails and spreadsheets leaked to the Mail.
the spree, funded by British taxpayers and those of the other Commonwealth nations, is taking place even though there is a £6.7million hole in the organisation’s pension fund.
One email between staffers who seemed shocked at the profligacy reads: ‘the sG [secretary General] wants her bathroom completely done… I [have] advised that we [are] already over budget.’ Baroness scotland, who already owns her own £2million house near the thames, has previously been criticised for pocketing £7,500 a day to conduct legal work for the corrupt government of the Maldives, a Commonwealth member state.
Last night, tory MP Philip Hollobone said: ‘Extravagant expenditure on this scale will appal Commonwealth citizens across the globe.’
Conservative MP Peter Bone added: ‘Baroness scotland needs to explain why this money is being spent.’
Baroness scotland denies any wrongdoing. A Commonwealth spokesman said: ‘the budget was agreed prior to the secretary General taking office.’
‘Extravagant expenditure’