THE TORY party’s verdict on the expense claims of its Hampshire MPs may not be disclosed for five weeks, a party spokesman has admitted.
The claims of every Conservative MP are being studied by an internal party scrutiny panel to judge whether any are “excessive”, and should therefore be refunded to the taxpayer.
MPs suspected of over-claiming will be asked to appear before the panel and explain their actions. Any MP refusing a request to repay money risks being kicked out of the Parliamentary party.
How to make your own Duck House just like the one Peter Viggers bought
A senior party source told the Daily Echo last week that the panel was expected to prioritise those cases publ i c i s e d over recent weeks.
T h e y include those of Gosport MP Peter Viggers, above, who is to step down at the next General Election after claiming £30,000 for his garden and trying to bill taxpayers £1,645 for a floating “duck island” for his pond, New Forest East MP Julian Lewis, who spent £4,870 on upgrading his London flat, and North West Hampshire MP George Young, who claimed the maximum second home allowance for the past two years.
Yesterday, a Tory Party spokesman said: “Everything will be published, in terms of who has to pay back and what will happen, by the end of June. If we discover massive charges which are considered wholly unacceptable they will be asked to immediately pay them back.”
The detailed expense claims of all MPs are due to be published by the Commons authorities within weeks.
Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead and Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne have already put their claims on their websites.
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