Defence secretary moves into £200,000 Westminster flat as war threat grows

Scotland on Sunday

Sun 1 Dec 2002

Defence secretary moves into £200,000 Westminster flat as war threat grows

BRIAN BRADY WESTMINSTER EDITOR

GEOFF Hoon has moved into a luxurious flat at the heart of government in Westminster - at a cost of some £200,000 to the taxpayer - as preparations for war in Iraq gather pace.

The Defence Secretary has left his south London flat for a plush rent-free apartment in Admiralty House, where he will live alongside fellow Cabinet ministers John Prescott and Margaret Beckett.

The palatial 18th-century building is a stone’s throw from the Ministry of Defence and the underground ‘COBRA’ unit that will form the nerve centre of any military campaign against Saddam Hussein.

Admiralty House is owned by the Cabinet Office, which rents the three flats out to fellow government departments for a total approaching £600,000 a year.

Officials confirmed that the third flat had been occupied, but refused to confirm that the Defence Secretary had moved in, citing "security grounds".

But government sources last night admitted that Hoon has become the deputy prime minister’s new neighbour, after advisers decided his Kennington flat was not secure enough for a senior minister.

The move was seen as an indication that Hoon wants to be close to the centre of operations, and his department in particular. The armed forces are faced with the responsibility of fighting fires while firefighters are on strike, maintaining defences in the ongoing campaign against terrorism, and preparing for possible military action in the Gulf.

Hoon is a key member of the special cabinet task force COBRA set up by Tony Blair to deal with emergencies.

But senior Tories last night condemned Hoon’s expensive move to a grace-and-favour residence at a time when they claim the forces are struggling with cuts imposed by his government.

Shadow defence spokesman Julian Lewis claimed there was no need for Hoon to move, at such a great financial cost to the MoD. He said: "We may be short of ships and we may be scrapping Sea Harriers, but it is reassuring to know that what have traditionally been the Navy’s most luxurious apartments are still reserved for Labour cabinet ministers."

The Grade I listed Admiralty House complex, valued at more than £60m by Treasury accountants, stands on a 1,200 sq m site in Whitehall, in the shadow of Nelson’s Column. The flats, once home to Sir Winston Churchill and more recently a series of senior figures including John Major, look out onto Horse Guards Parade and St James’s Park.

Property experts estimate that any of the apartments would be worth at least £100,000 a year in rental income if they were offered at market rates. Government records reveal that the Cabinet Office earns £654,000 a year from renting off its property to other departments.

Hoon has claimed the attic flat - above Prescott’s own residence - which was once occupied by former Cabinet Office minister Mo Mowlam. Lord Robertson was the last Defence Secretary to stay there, before he left to become Nato Secretary General in 1999. Official residences are normally allocated to ministers only on security grounds, or when it is judged that the award would enable them to carry out their duties more efficiently.

Prescott was moved out of the building earlier this year while asbestos was removed from the building, but he is now back in residence. The Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett also has a flat in the building.

"I can confirm that the third flat has been allocated," a Cabinet Office spokeswoman told Scotland on Sunday. "But we wouldn’t confirm who it has been allocated to, for security reasons.

"The Cabinet Office rents out the flats and the amount is a figure approaching £600,000. The figure includes approximate costs for maintenance, management, security, fuel and utilities, which comes to around £130,000."

This article:
http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1337772002

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