employment minister mcnulty faces police investigation

Straw admits to excessive payments

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DENIAL: Jack Straw in his Blackburn constituency yesterday

Tony McNulty:“pecuniary advantage”

Justice Secretary Jack Straw yesterday denied wrongdoing after it was disclosed he had to refund expenses which he had been overpaid.

He paid back over £1,500 in relation to claims for council tax on his constituency home in Blackburn, as well as £200 for mortgage payments on the same property.

Writing to the parliamentary Fees Office to say why he claimed too much, he said “accountancy does not app-ear to be my strongest suit”.

Between 2004 and 2008, Mr Straw claimed expenses for council tax on his second home at the full rate of £807 to £943 a year, at a time when he was receiving a 50% discount because the house was not occupied.

His letter to the Fees Office explaining the error came in July 2008 — two months after the court ruling which meant details of all MPs’ expenses would have to be published.

He returned £1,395.88 at that point, then a month later wrote again admitting his sums had been wrong with a cheque for £136.27 to “settle the matter”.

In 2007, Mr Straw also repaid over £200 after claiming more than the amount of his monthly interest.

Mr Straw said yesterday: “Overwhelmingly, MPs don’t go into politics to make money. And they do have to have a second home if you represent a constituency which is a long way from Westminster.

“My predecessor, Barbara Castle, was regarded as a good constituency MP, and she was. She was MP here for 34 years.

“She never had a base here at all and came here a morning and an afternoon a month, if that, whereas I’m here doing five walk-in surgeries and I’m here two or three weekends a month.”

One Cabinet colleague who may be in trouble is Employment Minister Tony McNulty. Last night it emerged that he could face a police probe over his expenses claims.

Scotland Yard confirmed it was considering a complaint he may have “obtained pecuniary advantage by deception”. In March it emerged he claimed £60,000 from Commons allowances since 2002 towards maintaining a house where his parents lived.

He was able to receive the money because the property – which he owns – is in his Harrow constituency, just 11 miles from parliament.

The MP lives with his wife in her house three miles from Westminster, but insisted he had not broken any rules because he sometimes did work at the Harrow property.