Ex-Minister ordered to repay expenses

Dr Fox, who resigned from his ministerial job last year over his controversial relationship with Mr Werritty, was also criticised for allowing him to run his Atlantic Bridge think-tank from the MP’s parliamentary offices.

After an inquiry by Standards Commissioner John Lyon, MPs on the cross-party Standards and Privileges Committee told Dr Fox to pay back £3,000 of his taxpayer-funded allowances and apologise in writing for breaking parliamentary rules.

Mr Werritty, who came to prominence last year after promoting himself as an adviser to Dr Fox, stayed at the Conservative MP’s London flat for a year from October 2002.

He was there “most weekdays” although he was away for eight weeks of the year, according to the Standards Commissioner’s report.

Mr Werritty gave the flat’s address as his own when he registered a directorship with Companies House in October 2002.

Dr Fox told the Commissioner that Mr Werritty stayed in a spare bedroom.

Mr Lyon said Dr Fox was “clearly, in my view, giving his friend a considerable financial benefit... made possible because of the claims which Dr Fox made against his parliamentary allowances to support him in his parliamentary duties”.

The Green Book rules on the now-abolished Additional Costs Allowance (ACA) for second homes stated that it should not be claimed for the living costs “of anyone other than yourself”.

The Commissioner said Dr Fox had been in breach of the rules from October 2002 to October 2003 because his claims for ACA did not “take account of the living costs of his friend who was living there”.