MPs Expenses affair - deep skullduggery afoot

[David Guyatt]

"Standurd! Read all abaht it! Standurd!"


Who tried to pinch what and why (well, you don't need to know why, it's obvious):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/...s-rejected

MPs' expenses claims that were rejected and why
From an intern's lunch to office furniture, here are some of the rejected expenses claims

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Polly Curtis
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 February 2011 20.17 GMT
Article history
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem employment minister, was refused £115.64 for a phone bill after he failed to provide sufficient evidence. The correct documents have now been resubmitted, he said. "It is taking huge amounts of staff time which previously used to be directed at helping constituents. We are just trying to do our jobs. The whole system is getting in our way," he said.

Peter Luff, the Tory defence minister, had a £286.50 telephone bill rejected and £12.70 for "teas, coffee and biscuits" because he did not provide sufficient documentation. Another two claims for utility bills in his constituency office were rejected because Ipsa deemed them "not claimable". Luff said it was a problem with the documentation, which was part of a service charge, and that he had now resubmitted the evidence. "I am ringing Ipsa to complain about this. Ipsa shouldn't have put this in the public domain," he said.

Jack Straw, the former Labour home secretary, had £609 from his business rates claims withheld after providing insufficient evidence. He said in a statement: "The claim was withheld temporarily because of a misunderstanding of the documentation required. It was later repaid."

Jesse Norman, the Tory MP for Hereford and champion of "compassionate Conservatism", had the largest sum rejected £1,504.01 for office furniture. He claimed that Ipsa had subsequently admitted its mistake and paid the money in full. "We've been punctilious in obeying the rules. I haven't claimed any personal expenses, but by not checking the claims there is no case to publish this. They should have recognised the outcome rather than the process," he said.

Nicky Morgan, the Tory MP for Loughborough, had a £77 claim for a "big society" reception at the house of Commons rejected because she claimed it before the event took place. The receipt was later resubmitted and paid in full. She said: "Transparency is a good thing, but my concern is about how the explanations are conveyed. The flaw in the system is not that it's come up but that it doesn't say it was subsequently paid."

Harriet Harman,the deputy Labour leader, was refused £75 for the hire of a hall for a constituency surgery for the same reason. The claim was resubmitted and subsequently accepted.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former chair of the standards and privileges committee in the Commons, had five claims totalling £171.80 rejected two taxis, two bills for newspapers and a travelcard for an intern. Four were technical errors and subsequently paid, and only one a £9.99 claim for photos for a pass to a Commonwealth conference was rejected on the grounds that the Foreign Office should have paid. "I am mildly irritated that Ipsa published unallowed claims without explaining why they were not allowed."

Ed Vaizey, the culture minister, was refused £4.75 to cover the cost of an intern's lunch. Vaizey said that the claim was permissible but that Ipsa had lost the receipt. "It's good for MPs because it reminds you what happens when you set up a quango. The public has to deal with things like the Criminal Records Bureau. This is a taste of our own medicine."

The employment minister, Maria Miller, was refused £13.20 for a congestion charge fee and dinner in the Commons. She could not be contacted.

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Check the expenses database yourself HERE