Osborne’s £30,000 refurb bill

The Chancellor, George Osborne, spent more than £30,000 of public money on refurbishing 11 Downing Street and his Number 10 flat.

The money was spent on works such as electrical, plumbing and structural improvements, according to a Freedom of Information request by the Daily Telegraph.

Tom Watson, the Labour MP, questioned how the Chancellor could justify such sums in an era of government-imposed austerity. "George Osborne should take a leadership position and he clearly has not," he said. The Treasury said it had an obligation to care for No 11, a Grade I listed building.