Police to investigate MP David Laws' expenses

(PA)

Police are to launch an investigation into the expenses claims of former Cabinet minister David Laws, a Labour MP said today.

Thomas Docherty made a formal complaint to the Metropolitan Police last week over Mr Laws's expenses, and today said the police had informed him they will by carrying out an investigation.

A spokesman for the Met declined to confirm whether an investigation has been opened into the Yeovil MP, who was suspended from the House of Commons for seven days after being found guilty of breaching expenses rules by claiming rent which he paid to his partner.

Mr Docherty said: "The Met have confirmed to me that they will be carrying out an investigation into Mr Laws in the light of the complaint that I made and the evidence they have received from the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner's inquiry published last week."

Liberal Democrat MP Mr Laws resigned as chief secretary to the Treasury after just 17 days last year when it was revealed that he had been claiming second-home allowances for a London property which he shared with his male partner.

He was regarded as a key member of the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition Government, and both Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg have made clear they would welcome a swift return to the Cabinet.

The Yeovil MP apologised to the Commons last week after the Standards and Privileges Committee concluded he should be suspended for seven days for breaking expenses rules.

The punishment - one of the most stringent in the Commons armoury - is thought likely to delay any return to ministerial office for some time.

Mr Laws has repaid more than £56,000 in second-home expenses, and has said that he made the claims in the way he did in the hope of maintaining privacy about his sexuality, which he had not revealed even to parents and friends.

Mr Docherty, MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, said: "If one of my constituents had defrauded the taxpayer of £56,000 by making false claims for housing benefit, I think they would be rightly facing police investigation. And the police would take a pretty dim view of them saying they'd paid the money back after they were caught.

"I don't see why there should be one rule for MPs and another for their constituents."

Asked whether Mr Laws's expenses claims were under police investigation, a Scotland Yard spokesman replied: "A small number of cases remain subject to consideration by the joint Metropolitan Police Service and Crown Prosecution Service assessment panel or are subject to continuing investigation.

"We are not prepared to discuss individuals under investigation."

A Liberal Democrat spokesman said that neither Mr Laws nor his lawyers had been informed by the Met that any investigation was being launched.

And sources close to the MP said that, while the police were duty-bound to look into Mr Docherty's complaint, they did not expect the case to be taken any further.

One aide said: "The police have looked at this before and found that there is nothing to pursue.

"The Commissioner's report said that there was a breach of the parliamentary rules - as David admits - but there wasn't any attempt to actually gain from the expenses system."