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Sleaze watchdog MP quits over inquiry on second home claims
The MP in charge of the Commons sleaze watchdog stood down last night pending an inquiry into his second home allowance claims.
Tory David Curry is facing allegations that he claimed almost 30,000 towards the cost of a property that his wife does not allow him to use.
According to the Daily Telegraph, she demanded he did not use the cottage in Yorkshire as a condition of their reconciliation after she discovered he was having an affair.
After being challenged about the claims, the MP for Skipton and Ripon has referred his case to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards John Lyon who investigates alleged expenses abuse.
Mr Lyon's reports are passed to the Standards and Privileges Committee – to which Mr Curry was appointed as chairman last month – for its recommendations for punishment.
Mr Curry said: "I used the cottage to carry out my duties as a constituency MP and am content with my arrangements."
Mr Curry, a former Tory minister, designated the cottage as his second home in 2005 after moving back into his family home in Essex. Since then, he has claimed 28,078 in expenses towards its upkeep.
That included the installation of a new damp course, roof repairs and redecorating. He also claimed about 250 a month towards the mortgage until it was paid off in 2007.
The newspaper claimed that Mr Curry rarely stayed in his constituency.
He used the cottage less than he would have liked in previous years, but put the reasons down to maintenance work and his father's illness. "My father was diagnosed with a terminal cancer in 2006 (he died in June 2008) and I tried to stay with him on the northern edge of Leeds whenever possible."
Mr Curry has already announced he is stepping down from Parliament at the next general election.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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