Caught out (again): MP claims parking fine on expenses
Exclusive: Labour shadow minister Abena Oppong-Asare becomes fifth MP to be exposed by The Independent over driving fines claims
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Your support makes all the difference.A member of Sir Keir Starmerās top team billed taxpayers for a Ā£55 parking ticket, leading the expenses watchdog to tighten its rules and write to MPs, The Independent can reveal.
Shadow treasury minister Abena Oppong-Asareās expenses included the fine after a staff member received a ticket while parked outside a constituency surgery in her Erith and Thamesmead seat.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) launched a review of past claims and āchanged its processesā after The Independent revealed the charge.
Senior Conservative MPs said it was āunbelievableā and called on Sir Keir to āshow leadershipā and sack Ms Oppong-Asare.
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Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told The Independent the āridiculousā claim showed a āmisplaced sense of entitlementā.
And the expenses watchdog said: āMPs and their staff are not allowed to claim for penalty charges and fines under IPSA rules.ā
It said the rule was āclearly statedā in its code of conduct for MPs and it has āchanged our process to ensure any future such claims are not paidā.
Labour claimed it was an āadministrative errorā by a staff member, not Ms Oppong-Asare.
The revelation comes just two months after The Independent revealed a Tory minister and two MPs had wrongly claimed hundreds of pounds in driving fines on expenses.
An earlier investigation by The Independent found IPSA had approved penalty charges from senior Tories Amanda Solloway, Bim Afolami and Simon Hoare, as well as SNP MP Dave Doogan.
Sir Alistair Graham, the former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, told The Independent Ms Oppong-Asareās behaviour was āsloppyā and she should be ātaking better care with public financesā.
Commenting on the fact Ms Oppong-Asare only paid the fine back after being contacted by this paper, Sir Alistair said: āWe should not have to rely on The Independent to protect the public finances.ā
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And he called on IPSA to ātake more careā processing claims from MPs, adding that āas always the devil is in the detailā.
After The Independentās original report, IPSA wrote to MPs to remind them of the rules.
Labour frontbencher Thangam Debbonaire condemned the MPs, saying that āTory MPs flouting the rules damages public confidence in the systemā. A Labour spokesperson would not comment on whether Ms Debbonaireās comments applied to Ms Oppong-Asare.
IPSA has now promised a fresh crackdown. āMPs and their staff are not allowed to claim for penalty charges and fines under IPSA rules. Paragraph 3.26 of the Scheme of MPsā Staffing and Business Costs clearly states that these fines are not claimable,ā an IPSA spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added: āIPSAās checks failed in this case to identify that the claim was not allowed. It has now been repaid. We have changed our process to ensure any future such claims are not paid.ā
It has written to MPs, launched a review of past claims and implemented a new process to check future claims.
Ms Oppong-Asareās parking ticket claim in March was submitted as a āstaff travelā expense.
She told The Independent a member of staff submitted the claim without her knowledge, having received the ticket while dealing with a ādistressed constituentā at a surgery causing it to overrun. A Labour source stressed the parking ticket was received and claimed back by a member of staff, not Ms Oppong-Asare.
But it called into question how out of touch the shadow minister must be not to be aware of her own expenses.
She confirmed she had paid the claim back to IPSA after being contacted by The Independent.
The Ā£55 penalty is a discounted band B charge in Bexleyheath, southeast London, having been paid within a reduced payment period.
The claim comes as taxpayers grapple with the spiralling cost of living and Ms Oppong-Asareās constituents brace for the impact of London mayor Sadiq Khanās Ulez expansion.
Senior Tory MP Henry Smith told The Independent it was āclearā a parking ticket does not count as a legitimate business expense.
He said: āClearly a parking penalty notice is not a legitimate business expense by anyoneās standard and especially not a shadow frontbench spokesperson.
āIt seems like more Labour double standards; their attitude of impunity is appalling, Starmer should show leadership and sack the individual concerned.ā
Sir Iain described the expenses claim as āridiculousā and called for Ms Oppong-Asare to be sacked. āIf Starmer doesnāt get rid of her, then taxpayers beware,ā he said.
He added: āWhat a ridiculous claim. Why was she allowed to claim it? It shows that they have a misplaced sense of entitlement.
āIf you make such a claim on hardworking taxpayers, it tells you all you need to know about they way they will govern.ā
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