Neighbours welcome squatters in MPs' home

Squatters who took over the constituency home of Labour MPs Ann and Alan Keen in protest at their "outrageous" expense claims have unexpectedly received the backing of their new neighbours.

Residents have shown their support for the group, who moved into the Brentford property last Thursday, by donating food, clothes, water and bedding. In return, the squatters held a barbecue for them.

The husband and wife MPs were dubbed "Mr and Mrs Expenses" after it emerged they claimed £140,000 over four years for a second home in Westminster by listing the run-down semi-detached house as their "main" residence. Ann Keen is MP for Brentford and Isleworth, while her husband Alan is MP for neighbouring Feltham and Heston.

Father-of-four Dave Twells, 54, a construction worker who has lived around the corner from the Keens for 30 years, said the squatters had his "100 per cent support".

""What those MPs have done with their expenses is disgusting," he added. "I have four children and was made redundant six months ago. I'm back in work now, but it has been a real struggle."

The squatters, six men and four women, aged between 17 and 30, moved into the £375,000, four-storey house last Thursday. It has no running water or electricity and large gaps in the wooden flooring but its new occupiers say they will not leave without a fight. They plan to convert the building into a refugee or community centre if the Keens fail to gain a repossession order.

Full-time squatter Sam Reginald, 27, who organised the barbecue for neighbours last night, said: "We're going to stay for as long as possible. The issue is not just about the Keens, it's about giving the community a voice. The public wants to have an outlet for their concerns, but they don't know how to go about organising themselves." Another squatter, 20-year-old Serge, said the group wanted to highlight freedom of movement between countries, the "injustice" of the Iraq war, the lack of affordable housing in the UK and MP "corruption".

Hounslow council wrote to the Keens two weeks ago, threatening to seize the house as an "abandoned dwelling" if they continue to leave it empty. The MPs now have 28 days to explain how and when they plan to bring the property back into use. Otherwise it may be taken out of their control and used to house council tenants.

Jim Hamilton, who works for the Advisory Service for Squatters, said "There are around 10,000 people on waiting lists for housing in this borough alone."