Sarah Champion MP claims £17 for poppy wreath
Sarah Champion claimed the expense last year as 'necessary expenses' - laying the wreath at a service in her constituency on 11 November
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Labour MP was condemned yesterday for claiming £17 for a poppy wreath to honour the war dead on Remembrance Sunday.
Sarah Champion, the MP for Rotherham, claimed the expense last year as “office costs”, filing it under “necessary expenses”. She then laid the wreath at a service in her constituency on 11 November.
Yesterday, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said the claim defied parliamentary rules and demanded the cost be repaid.
It will come as something of an embarrassment for the MP, who has rapidly gained a reputation as one of Labour’s hardest-working backbenchers. She featured heavily in the recent BBC series Inside the Commons and was quoted as saying: “The more transparent and open we can be about Parliament, the better.”
Yesterday, the MP admitted the claim “should never have been made” and said she plans to reimburse Ipsa today.
Ms Champion filed the claim on 21 October 2014 under the description “Wreath for Remembrance Sunday”. Ipsa officials said they “mistakenly processed” the expense.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments