Laws suspended and forced to apologise over expenses breach

In the toughest punishment handed out to any MP since Tory Derek Conway was suspended for 10 days in 2008, the Standards and Privileges Committee concluded Mr Laws should face a seven-day suspension after “a series of serious breaches of rules”.

But despite the verdict, Ministers queued up to offer support for Mr Laws in what appeared to be a concerted effort to clear the way for his return to Government.

Mr Laws resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in May 2010, just a fortnight after the coalition Government was formed, when it emerged he had claimed Parliamentary allowances to pay rent to his partner, James Lundie.

The Yeovil MP argued his motive in keeping secret the relationship between himself and Mr Lundie was to avoid outing himself as gay, rather than gaining any profit.

But the long awaited report by Standards Commissioner John Lyon found “any reasonable person properly seized of the facts” would agree Mr Laws had been in breach of rules against using expenses to rent from a partner.

Mr Lyon also concluded that the MP had been wrong to designate his Somerset house as his main home, because he was spending more time with Mr Lundie in London. His decision to do so meant he could claim thousands of pounds in rent and other costs for Mr Lundie’s London flat, where they both lived.

Mr Lyon also said the MP had misled the Commons authorities since 2001 by filing documents which gave a “false impression” of his relationship with Mr Lundie.

“Mr Laws’ wish to maintain his personal privacy cannot, in my view, justify – although it may explain – such conduct,” the commissioner added.

Mr Laws was found to have paid his partner up to £370 per month above the market rent, and used expenses to contribute £2,000 to building works at the second London property they shared. The report also revealed Mr Laws admitted regularly putting in expenses claims just below the £250 threshold which would have meant receipts were required.

The MP told the commissioner: “I didn’t want to send in bills with his name on. It was an aspect of my secrecy.”

Despite the evidence of excessive claims, the committee did not order Mr Laws to hand back any money because he has already repaid £56,592 – the full amount of his second home allowance claims between July 2006 and 2009.

The House will debate the report on Monday, with Mr Laws’ suspension likely to begin on June 7.

Flanked by Liberal Democrat MPs, the ex-Minister yesterday told a hushed chamber he took “complete and personal responsibility”.

“All of us want to see the reputation of this House restored after the last few disastrous years,” he said. “If, by my actions, I’ve contributed in any way to further undermining the reputation of this House, then I can only apologise without reservation.”

Mr Laws, who had been tipped for a swift return to Government, received messages of support from senior figures including David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

Mr Clegg said: “I’ve worked with him over many years and he’s a very able, talented person. I’m sure we will see him back.”

Education Secretary Michael Gove said: “It is my personal hope that we will all be able to make use of his talents before too long.”

Labour’s Frank Field criticised the “arbitrary nature” of such judgments, saying some guilty MPs got only a “ticking off”, while Mr Laws was suspended.