Taxpayers pay MP and his family £300,000

Mar 2 2008 By Bob Haywood

TOM Watson is an MP who loves life. He is as big as a bear, always wears a beaming smile and adores socialising.

Because of his fondness for food, he fully lives up to his Commons nickname - Tommy Two Dinners.

Four members of the West Bromwich East MP's family also work in politics in jobs paid for by the taxpayer.

His wife, brother, sister-in-law and cousin are all employed by Labour MPs.

Together, the five Watsons earn more than £300,000 per year.

Tom Watson, 41, has been the larger-than-life MP for West Bromwich East since 2001 and was a Government Whip from 2004 to 2006, and then junior defence minister.

But he resigned that portfolio after allegedly staging an unsuccessful coup to force the then Prime Minister Tony Blair to stand down.

A close pal and political ally of Gordon Brown, he was restored to ministerial office after the switch-over at No 10 Downing Street, and was appointed Cabinet Office minister in January.

A skilled and genial MP, Mr Watson has been tipped for even higher office and is well liked by his constituents in West Bromwich East, one of two Labour-held seats in Sandwell in the Black Country.

Sandwell is one of the most deprived local authorities in the country which consistently comes close to the bottom of league tables on poor health, exam results, housing and joblessness.

The MP has also earned himself a reputation in the Labour Party for his Tory-taunting postings on his website.

In 2006-2007, the latest year for which figures are available, Mr Watson pocketed the basic MP's salary of a shade under £60,000. His parliamentary expenses amounted to £150,000-plus - bringing his total package to £211,000.

His annual expenses were the second-highest among MPs in the West Midlands, topped only by Liam Byrne, Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Minister for the West Midlands.

MPs of all party colours consistently point out that many of the expenses they receive are not an additional salary but go on support staff, services or essential equipment.

Mr Watson's wife, Siobhan, works in his constituency office in West Bromwich and is paid up to £20,000 a year.

His brother, Dan, is constituency director to Euro MP Michael Cashman, the gay activist and former EastEnders actor, earning an estimated £25,000 a year.

Dan Watson's wife, Joanna, has no fewer than three jobs. Like her husband, she also works for Mr Cashman and for Wolverhampton Labour MP Pat McFadden, yet still finds time to be a Labour councillor in Sandwell.

It is unclear how much her jobs bring in, but they are believed to earn her more than £30,000 per year.

Amy Watson, cousin of Tom and Dan, earns an estimated £21,000 a year working for Birmingham Northfield Labour MP Richard Burden.

Their combined earnings mean the estimated total annual cost to the taxpayer of the Watson family is more than £300,000.

Tom Watson told the Sunday Mercury: "My salary and expenses are already a matter of public record.

"My wife works for me as the lowest-paid of my four constituency staff, earning between £17,000 and £19,999.

"My brother, sister-in-law and cousin all work for other MPs. We are a political family. But I do not employ them and I have no idea how much each of them earns.

"I hope it is not being suggested that there is something improper going on.

"I think this is a dirty tricks story against a Government minister, although I would not speculate on who it might be.

"I provide a fully comprehensive, hardworking service for all my constituents. Who other MPs employ is a matter for them.

"What is important is that we provide an excellent service for my constituents. I think we pass the test."

Michael Cashman MEP said: "These figures are completely wrong. "I employ my staff because of the skills they offer not because of who they are.

"It is important that I have a fully staffed office in the West Midlands that can cope when I am working in Brussels and Strasbourg.

"My West Midlands-based staff are steeped in the tradition of public service and like many public servants work many more hours than they are contracted to do on behalf of my constituents.

"In the private sector they would be paid triple what they are paid working for me."

Pat McFadden MP said: "All my staff, including Jo and Dan, do a very good job for me and for the constituents of Wolverhampton South East.

"They work hard for local people and there is no reason why they should not be allowed to do these jobs."

A spokeswoman for the West Midlands Labour Party also disputed the estimated salary figures.

None of the other four members of the Watson family were available for comment last night.