'Phantom' council tax bills for MPs
MPs are facing further embarrassment over their expenses as it emerged more than 50 had claimed for council tax they had not paid.
Some have raked in thousands of pounds on "phantom" local authority bills, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The latest revelations came as Scotland Yard announced that some MPs and at least one peer were to be subjected to criminal inquiries following allegations that they had misused their expenses.
Among those over-claiming for council tax was Labour MP Eric Illsley who reportedly made a profit of more than £6,000 between 2004 and 2008.
He admitted claiming a notional figure rather than the actual cost of the bill at a time when MPs did not have to provide receipts for any claims under £250.
"This is why the claims do not match the council tax bills," he told the BBC. "It is embarrassing. I'm sorry it has happened. I have never made any secret of my claims and I will pay back the money."
Former minister Beverley Hughes was said to have profited by up to £2,000, Government whip Mark Tami by about £1,500 and ex-home secretary David Blunkett by £178.
Tory frontbenchers David Willetts and Jeremy Hunt were reported to have over-claimed for council tax by about £500 each. Mr Willetts said it was possible he had "inadvertently" claimed for an 11th month while his council tax bills were divided into only 10.
Some 18 MPs have apparently already repaid cash to the Commons Fees Office after identifying erroneous over-payments prior to today's disclosures. They included Labour MPs David Kidney, Linda Gilroy and Michael Meacher.
The Metropolitan Police's inquiries are understood to be covering Labour MPs David Chaytor and Elliot Morley, both of whom claimed on their expenses for non-existent mortgages. Also thought to be under investigation is Baroness Uddin, who has been accused of claiming an empty Maidstone flat was her main residence so she could claim an allowance for peers who live outside the capital.
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