FRI AM: Dewsbury MP in expenses scandal - latest

May 15 2009 By Andrew Jackson

ANOTHER clutch of embarrassing parliamentary expenses claims were revealed today as the public mood over the revelations turned increasingly angry.

Justice Minister Shahid Malik claimed for tens of thousands of pounds on his second home in London while renting his constituency home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for less than £100 a week, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Former Cabinet member Clare Short was also paid £8,000 too much after claiming for her full mortgage payments despite only being entitled to the interest, it was revealed.

And there were revelations about a number of MP couples, including Cabinet colleagues Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper, who represent Morley and Pontefract respectively,  who reportedly "flipped" their second home to three different properties within two years, and Ann and Alan Keen, who have allegedly claimed almost £40,000 a year on a central London flat less than 10 miles from their family home.

The details were published amid mounting pressure for police action against the worst alleged abuses and after the continuing scandal claimed its first MP scalps.

One opinion poll today also showed Labour had slumped to its lowest rating of 22%, handing the Conservatives a landslide victory if translated into votes at the next general election,

Mr Malik’s claims for his second home in Peckham, south London, amounted to £66,827 over three years, the highest figure for any MP, according to the Telegraph.

They were said to include £2,600 for a home cinema system - which was cut in half by the Commons Fees Office - £730 for a "massage chair", and £65 for a court summons for the non-payment of council tax.

The Telegraph said that his landlord, local businessman and landlord Tahir Zaman, confirmed that he was paying well below the market rent for his Dewsbury address.

Mr Malik insisted last night that he had acted within the rules and denied that his job was on the line.