SNP MP named among politicians claiming for driving fines on expenses

According to an investigation by The Independent, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) approved more than £1000 of expense claims for driving penalty charges between 2019 and 2022 - including a fine expensed by Dave Doogan, the SNP MP for Angus.

He is listed alongside three Conservative MPs who also claimed back money for driving fines: Amanda Solloway, Simon Hoare and Bim Afolami.

All fines were issued by Transport for London.

Following the investigation IPSA said it had been wrong to pay the fines and would be writing to the MPs to ask that the money be repaid.

Solloway and Afolami have said they have since paid back the charges.

A former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life - the body which advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards amongst MPs - said the revelation gave a "bad impression".

Sir Alister Graham served as chair between 2003 and 2007.

He said: "It's scandalous. If the Home Secretary can pay her fine for speeding, then everybody else should pay their fixed penalty notices.

"MPs are ordinary citizens like the rest of us, and if they've breached the regulations for driving then they have to pay the fixed penalty notice like the rest of us.

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"It gives a very bad impression if they're paid out of public funds, because it looks like they're getting special privileges, which is most inappropriate."

A spokesperson for IPSA said: "MPs are not allowed to claim for penalty charges and fines under IPSA rules. Paragraph 3.26 of the Scheme of MPs' Staffing and Business Costs clearly states that these fines are not claimable.

"IPSA's checks failed in some cases to identify these claims and some of them were paid. We will contact MPs and ask them to repay, where appropriate. We have changed our process to ensure any future such claims are not paid, and will reiterate the scheme rules to MPs."

A spokesperson for Doogan said that the expense claim related to a "delay" in the payment of a congestion charge for entering the Ultra Low Emissions Zone and that Doogan would be happy to repay it if contacted by IPSA. 

They said: "IPSA covers the work travel cost of the London Congestion/ULEZ Charge for MPs from constituencies outside London.

"A delay in payment resulted in an increased charge, which was claimed and approved by IPSA.

"If, in retrospect, IPSA wish to reverse their decision to approve this claim then Mr Doogan looks forward to repaying it.

"IPSA have not contacted Mr Doogan so far, however, so he has contacted them to ask for their advice on how to urgently reconcile this matter."