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| Tory minister claimed expenses for room at club where he met mistress | Tory minister claimed expenses for room at club where he met mistress |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A Conservative minister has charged taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds to stay at a private members’ club where he would meet his mistress. | |
| Robert Halfon, a minister without portfolio who attends cabinet, last week admitted to cheating on his partner after it emerged he was warned that a Tory aide was trying to blackmail him. | Robert Halfon, a minister without portfolio who attends cabinet, last week admitted to cheating on his partner after it emerged he was warned that a Tory aide was trying to blackmail him. |
| Halfon confessed to the affair following reports that a Tory election aide, Mark Clarke, had planned to film him leaving the East India Club in central London with the woman concerned, a Tory activist. Clarke denies the blackmail claim. | Halfon confessed to the affair following reports that a Tory election aide, Mark Clarke, had planned to film him leaving the East India Club in central London with the woman concerned, a Tory activist. Clarke denies the blackmail claim. |
| It emerged on Sunday that Halfon claimed more than £30,000 in expenses to stay at the East India Club in the four years after he was elected in 2010, receipts posted on his website show. | It emerged on Sunday that Halfon claimed more than £30,000 in expenses to stay at the East India Club in the four years after he was elected in 2010, receipts posted on his website show. |
| The MP, who lives with his partner Vanda Colombo in Harlow, Essex, is entitled to claim for overnight stays because he has a disability. He was born with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, and walks with crutches after developing osteoarthritis. | The MP, who lives with his partner Vanda Colombo in Harlow, Essex, is entitled to claim for overnight stays because he has a disability. He was born with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, and walks with crutches after developing osteoarthritis. |
| On his website, Halfon says he claims £98 a night to stay in a hotel – which he does not name – near Westminster because of his disability. | On his website, Halfon says he claims £98 a night to stay in a hotel – which he does not name – near Westminster because of his disability. |
| The East India, Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools’ Club, to give it its full name, charges up to £110 a night for a single room. Members must be nominated and pay an annual fee of around £1,000. | The East India, Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools’ Club, to give it its full name, charges up to £110 a night for a single room. Members must be nominated and pay an annual fee of around £1,000. |
| Halfon’s most recent expenses, from 1 to 4 September last year, show that he claimed £100 a night to stay at the East India Club on these days. The MP has not yet released details of his expenses claims covering his six-month affair, which took place during the 2015 election campaign. | Halfon’s most recent expenses, from 1 to 4 September last year, show that he claimed £100 a night to stay at the East India Club on these days. The MP has not yet released details of his expenses claims covering his six-month affair, which took place during the 2015 election campaign. |
| Halfon says on his website: “Staying in a hotel makes life a lot easier for me, as it would simply be too exhausting – because of my disability – to travel to and from Harlow often quite late at night. I do NOT have a second home, as my only home is in Harlow. I stay instead, in a small single room, in a local hotel. | Halfon says on his website: “Staying in a hotel makes life a lot easier for me, as it would simply be too exhausting – because of my disability – to travel to and from Harlow often quite late at night. I do NOT have a second home, as my only home is in Harlow. I stay instead, in a small single room, in a local hotel. |
| “The only expense I claim for is the cost of accommodation, and some food and drink at the House of Commons canteen if I am working late into the night, according to the limits set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. Currently MPs can claim up to £150 per night however I choose to stay at this hotel because the cost at £98 pounds is very low compared to other local hotels around Westminster.” | “The only expense I claim for is the cost of accommodation, and some food and drink at the House of Commons canteen if I am working late into the night, according to the limits set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. Currently MPs can claim up to £150 per night however I choose to stay at this hotel because the cost at £98 pounds is very low compared to other local hotels around Westminster.” |
| A spokeswoman for Halfon said: “Rob Halfon claimed for rooms at the East India Club as part of his disability allowance for his work as MP, as it is considerably lower than the limit allowed by IPSA for MPs’ accommodation cost in hotels. | A spokeswoman for Halfon said: “Rob Halfon claimed for rooms at the East India Club as part of his disability allowance for his work as MP, as it is considerably lower than the limit allowed by IPSA for MPs’ accommodation cost in hotels. |
| “Mr Halfon repeats his full and frank apology.” | “Mr Halfon repeats his full and frank apology.” |
| The spokeswoman added that the woman with whom Halfon had an affair had not stayed at the club overnight. | The spokeswoman added that the woman with whom Halfon had an affair had not stayed at the club overnight. |