Treasury plants cost £16k

The Treasury has spent more than £16,000 on office pot plants since George Osborne became Chancellor.

The figure, for the “provision and maintenance of indoor plants” at the Treasury’s Horse Guards Road headquarters, covers the period from May 2010 when the coalition government was formed, to February this year. But the amount spent on plants has been slashed by £6,000 compared with the previous 22 months, Economic Secretary Chloe Smith told MPs.