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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| SNP backs Angus MacNeil over hotel expenses claims | SNP backs Angus MacNeil over hotel expenses claims |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The SNP has insisted it was "totally wrong" to suggest that an MP at the centre of sex claims had committed financial impropriety. | The SNP has insisted it was "totally wrong" to suggest that an MP at the centre of sex claims had committed financial impropriety. |
| Angus MacNeil is said to have stayed with journalist Serena Cowdy at the Park Plaza hotel in London, and then claimed for the room on expenses. | Angus MacNeil is said to have stayed with journalist Serena Cowdy at the Park Plaza hotel in London, and then claimed for the room on expenses. |
| Ms Cowdy is reported to have later been involved in a relationship with the SNP's deputy leader, Stewart Hosie. | Ms Cowdy is reported to have later been involved in a relationship with the SNP's deputy leader, Stewart Hosie. |
| Mr Hosie recently separated from his wife, SNP MSP Shona Robison. | Mr Hosie recently separated from his wife, SNP MSP Shona Robison. |
| London area | London area |
| Mr MacNeil, the MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles), has claimed about £90,000 in accommodation expenses since 2010/11, including £17,823.97 in 2014/15 - the period in which he was said to have been having an affair with Ms Cowdy. | Mr MacNeil, the MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles), has claimed about £90,000 in accommodation expenses since 2010/11, including £17,823.97 in 2014/15 - the period in which he was said to have been having an affair with Ms Cowdy. |
| The vast majority of the claims have been for hotels in the London area. | The vast majority of the claims have been for hotels in the London area. |
| This is despite Mr MacNeil owning a flat in Lambeth, which is about a 15-minute walk from the House of Commons. | This is despite Mr MacNeil owning a flat in Lambeth, which is about a 15-minute walk from the House of Commons. |
| Mr MacNeil, who separated from his wife last year, is understood to have bought the flat under previous Westminster expenses rules, which allowed him to charge mortgage interest payments to his parliamentary expenses. | Mr MacNeil, who separated from his wife last year, is understood to have bought the flat under previous Westminster expenses rules, which allowed him to charge mortgage interest payments to his parliamentary expenses. |
| But when the rules changed following the MPs' expenses scandal, Mr MacNeil became one of several MPs who chose to rent out their properties and instead claim expenses for staying in hotels or rented accommodation when in London. | |
| There is no suggestion that the practice is against Westminster expenses rules, and MPs do not have to disclose details of any guests to the authorities. | |
| Front pages | Front pages |
| Mr MacNeil had previously said that the new expenses rules were to blame, and that MPs should be allowed to claim for flats they own, as they did in the past. | Mr MacNeil had previously said that the new expenses rules were to blame, and that MPs should be allowed to claim for flats they own, as they did in the past. |
| Both Labour and the Conservatives have called for an investigation into any "potential misuse" of taxpayers' money by Mr MacNeil, who was previously forced to pay back almost £900 in hotel expenses after exceeding the nightly rate set out under Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) rules. | |
| But a spokeswoman for the SNP said of the latest claims: "Angus MacNeil's accommodation has nothing to do with it. To suggest any financial impropriety is totally wrong." | |
| Allegations of Ms Cowdy's affairs with the two SNP MPs have dominated the front pages of Scotland's newspapers over the past two days. | Allegations of Ms Cowdy's affairs with the two SNP MPs have dominated the front pages of Scotland's newspapers over the past two days. |
| SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon - who was re-elected as Scotland's first minister on Tuesday - was asked several times by journalists whether she still had confidence in Mr Hosie, who is due to lead the party's new independence drive over the summer. | SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon - who was re-elected as Scotland's first minister on Tuesday - was asked several times by journalists whether she still had confidence in Mr Hosie, who is due to lead the party's new independence drive over the summer. |
| Ms Sturgeon said only that it was a "private matter", that Mr Hosie was "elected as deputy leader of the party" and that she had no further comment to make. | Ms Sturgeon said only that it was a "private matter", that Mr Hosie was "elected as deputy leader of the party" and that she had no further comment to make. |
| The first minister was photographed in the Holyrood chamber embracing Ms Robison - who served as her health secretary until the recent election, and who has been married to Dundee East MP Mr Hosie for nearly 20 years. | The first minister was photographed in the Holyrood chamber embracing Ms Robison - who served as her health secretary until the recent election, and who has been married to Dundee East MP Mr Hosie for nearly 20 years. |