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# Councillor’s guinea pig jibe at Lichfield MP after expenses report
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/councillors-guinea-pig-jibe-at-lichfield-mp-after-expenses-report/
- Published: 2009-11-13T16:35:39.000Z
- Updated: 2009-11-14T11:07:13.000Z
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 21:52

![Cllr Steve Norman](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/steve-norman.jpg "steve-norman")

Cllr Steve Norman

A Burntwood councillor has claimed Lichfield’s MP may have to resort to “eating guinea pigs” if new expenses rules are introduced.

The comments came from Councillor Steve Norman (Lab, Summerfield) in the wake of Sir Christopher Kelly’s report on MPs’ expenses.

Recommendation 10 of the report says:

> “Only MPs who stay in a hotel should in future be entitled to claim for the costs of food, currently up to a maximum of £25 per night and within the overall ceiling for accommodation expenses. Reimbursement should be on the basis of receipted expenditure only.”

But Cllr Norman says Conservative MP Michael Fabricant – who once admitted eating guinea pigs on a South American trip – has claimed £340 a month for food for each of the last three years of the publicised expenses list.

Cllr Norman added:

> “That’s more than twice the average of £154! It looks like Mr Fabricant will have to resort to a different diet from the one he’s been used to at taxpayers’ expense if this recommendation goes through.  
>  
> “Whilst he claimed £3,740 for food during 2007/08, Burton’s Labour MP Janet Dean claimed an average of only £50 a month whilst Stafford’s Labour representative David Kidney managed only £215 for the whole year!”

![Michael Fabricant MP](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/michael-fabricant-mp.jpg "michael-fabricant-mp")

Michael Fabricant MP

However, Mr Fabricant claimed he wouldn’t be resorting to devouring household pets just yet.

He added:

> “Having tried guinea pig once in Peru, I shan’t be repeating my experience. I do not plan to do my weekly shopping at Pets At Home!”

Mr Fabricant’s total expenses for 2007/08 saw him ranked 569th out of all MPs. David Kidney was 257th and Janet Dean 517th.