Ann Lloyd Keen (born 26 November 1948, Hawarden as Ann Lloyd Fox) is a Labour Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. She represents Brentford and Isleworth, and was first elected at the 1997 general election.

Keen is the daughter of steelworker John Lloyd Fox and Ruby Hughes. She went to Elfed Secondary Modern School (the same as her sister, and now called Elfed High School) in Buckley, Clwyd, then gained a PGCEA (Postgraduate Certificate in the Education of Adults) from the University of Surrey. She worked in the NHS before training as a Registered nurse at Ashford General Hospital in Ashford, Middlesex^[1], and won prizes as Nurse of the Year and Children's Nurse of the Year and became a district nurse. From 1989-93, she was Head of the Faculty of Advanced Nursing at Queen Charlotte's College in Hammersmith (now part of Thames Valley University) and she also served as General Secretary of the Community and District Nursing Association.^[2]

Keen first stood for Parliament in 1987 and tried for the Brentford & Isleworth seat in 1992, though was unsuccessful on both occasions^[3]. For the following election she was again selected, on this occasion through an all-women shortlist. ^[4] This method of selection was declared unlawful in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws.^[5] Despite the ruling she remained in place as the candidate for the 1997 general election, when she became an MP defeating Conservative MP Nirj Deva.

Keen's first role in Parliament came in 1999 when she was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Frank Dobson, Secretary of State for Health, though this appointment lasted less than a month^[6]. SHe then moved to the Treasury^[7], later becoming Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP.^[8] On 29 June 2007, in Brown's first reshuffle as Prime Minister she was promoted to become a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health, where her brief includes NHS dentistry.^[9]

Nicknamed "Mr and Mrs Expenses" with her MP husband Alan Keen, the couple bought an apartment in an up-market development at Waterloo on the South Bank of the Thames using their combined second homes allowance, to claim £175,000 of taxpayers’ money. The couple bought the flat in May 2002 after spending six months in a London hotel, using two mortgages: one loan was for £350,000 from HSBC; the second loan was raised by re-mortgaging their property in Brentford, also through HSBC. The couple never submitted a single receipt, instead sending two sheets of A4 to the expenses department every month, claiming £1,643.50 each month throughout 2002-03 and £1,699 each throughout 2003-04. They also took out life insurance policies worth £430,000 and claimed back the £867.57 a month premiums on their expenses - a practice which is now banned. The couple's 'secondary' residence in Waterloo is approximately a 30 minute journey by public transport from their 'primary' residence in Brentford.^[10]

In the financial year 2007/8 Keen again hit the headlines, having the highest expenses claim of any MP excluding transport costs (which disproportionately affect MPs from remote constituencies).^[11] A formal investigation into the Keens' expenses by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is pending.^[12]. They have already been forced to pay back £353.41 in over claimed expenses on property service charges unrelated to the formal investigation.^[13]

In 2009 the Keens' 'primary residence' in Brook Road South, Brentford, was occupied by housing activists after remaining empty for between 9-12 months, following an alleged dispute with a building firm undertaking renovation work. The squatters' declared aim was to turn the house into a centre for war refugees, in response to Mrs Keen's support for the British invasion of Iraq. ^[14] While the £385,000 three-bedroom terrace was being renovated or was awaiting the re-commencement of renovation work, the Keens remained in their secondary central London apartment near Parliament, which they billed the public £137,679 for.^[15] After an alleged falling out with the builders the house was left empty for some months until the London Borough of Hounslow issued a notice under the Housing Act 2004. This obliges councils to monitor property that they believe has been unoccupied for six months. This alerted activists to the location of the house; it was legally and legitimately occupied by squatters on 27 June. A judgement obtained by the Keens at Brentford County Court on 10 July 2009 required the squatters to leave, and the squatters complied.

In defending their part in the expenses scandal the Keen's stated "we have advocated, strongly supported, and voted for the introduction of Freedom of Information legislation. We are pleased that the point has been reached when full details of MPs' expenses are being published on a regular basis for everyone to see".^[16] However, there is clearly anger at her conduct with protests held outside Keen's constituency offices, which have also been subject to arson attacks linked ot the scandal.^[17]

In May 2009 the Parliamentary ombudsman rule that Keen was guilty of misusing Parliamentary stationery and forced her to repay £4,583.^[18] She had sent unsolicited letters to hundreds of constituents inviting them to coffee mornings using prepaid envelopes and on Hosue fo Commons headed stationary, a breach of Parliamentary rules as they are only permitted to be used for replies. Ann Berkane, the constituent who rasied the complaint stated “I have been so shocked by her behaviour, it’s thoroughly disgusting.”. Keen blamed the matter on a junior member of staff.^[19]

In Apri 2005 Keen also attracted criticism for using school's to distribute party political material to children's parents.^{[20] [21]}

Keen stated on her website that "since her first election in 1997, Ann Keen MP has campaigned hard on the issues and priorities of her constituents in Brentford & Isleworth. One of her most successful campaigns was against the Third Runway at Heathrow." ^[22]. Despite this statement, on 28 Jan 2009 she voted for the government on an opposition motion to reconsider the third runway issue (i.e, she voted in favour of the third runway). Nic Ferriday of Friends of the Earth, described the behaviour of the Keens as "contemptable", stating that "having come out publicly and strongly against Heathrow, she has now betrayed her constituents and the people of west London".^[23]

In February 2009 Keen was sued by constituent John Taylor who alleged she had breached her 'duty of care' to a constituent in failing to assist his attempts in achieving compensation for wrongful imprisonment.^[24] Keen was initially order to pay £15,000 in damages though this ruling was later overturned on appeal, with the judge stating there was no entitlement in law for him to bring such a claim.^[25] THe case was especially notable as it was believed to be the first of its kind.^[26]

She married Alan Keen, a fellow Labour MP, in 1980 and her sister, Sylvia Heal also a Labour MP, sits in the House of Commons and is one of three Deputy Speakers of the House of Commons under Speaker Michael Martin. She has two sons and one daughter. She had one of her sons adopted and was reunited with him in 1997.^[27]

Keen employs one of her sons, Mark Lloyd Fox as a member of staff at Parliament.^[28]

• Ann Keen MP official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Ann Keen MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Ann Keen MP
• BBC Politics page