Dog food expenses MP: read her full statement here

Chesham and Amersham MP Cheryl Gillan said the £4.47 bill “was not an attempt to feed my dog on the taxpayer” (see links at the bottom of this story).

She said the expenses system needed a shake-up and pledged to publish up-to-date claims along with other Tory MPs.

Yet she defended using taxpayers’ money to fund a second home in London.

Some have argued that MPs whose constituencies are within commuting distance of Parliament should not claim for a second home.

The full article is below.

The issue of MPs’ allowances has dominated the recent agenda coming to a head on 19 May with the resignation of the Speaker.

Various practices and arrangements have been revealed in the press that understandably and, in my view, rightly invoked public anger.

There is now a common view these regulations have been seen to be far too permissive, allowing certain Members to make wholly unjustifiable claims.

I am under no illusion that public trust will not be won back easily.

However, the steps first taken by David Cameron and now adopted by the Speaker after meeting with all party leaders will, I hope, help restore the standing of our great parliamentary democracy.

MPs need to function under a system that is both clear and transparent and these interim measures will last until the independent report from Sir Christopher Kelly (Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life), which needs to be produced as soon as possible.

As an update, the interim proposals include a limit on mortgage and rent payments, with new rules on the designation of second homes and associated claims.

There will be consultation about a new parliamentary standards authority to look at all these issues.

For my part I would like to apologise unreservedly. The inclusion of £4.47 for dog food on a grocery bill was not an attempt to feed my dog on the taxpayer, but a basic clerical error – a failure to delete items for which I would never dream of claiming.

It was put right within hours of it being brought to my attention. I do make every effort to be absolutely thorough in my financial affairs, but I am not perfect.

There are occasions where time is limited due to the pressure of work and I am afraid this was the case.

There has been mention of my travel costs, in relation to MPs from neighbouring constituencies.

These will be greater than others as I travel almost every week to and from Wales in my capacity as Shadow Secretary of State.

The Shadow Cabinet position brings no extra salary and no separate allowance for performance of my front bench duties other than a few hours a week from a specialist researcher and a press officer.

Any travel and mileage to, from or within Wales and hotel bills for overnight stays fall under the Parliamentary allowances, so this is the reason why this total differs from that of neighbouring MPs. For the future, I think claims have to be put under public scrutiny from the moment they are made.

All claims by Shadow Cabinet members, myself included, will now be published on the Conservative Party website as soon as they are made and will be extended to include the rest of the Front Bench and all Conservative MPs as soon as possible.

Transparency is not enough, though, if the system under which claims are made can still be used to justify expenses that are simply unacceptable.

David Cameron has taken a strong lead by banning “flipping” of second homes for Conservative MPs, the use of the Additional Costs Allowance for household furniture, and claims for subsistence.

The essential principle of the Second Home Allowance (Additional Costs Allowance) is now under direct scrutiny.

Some MPs are always going to need a base in London. A practical solution to this, which does not disbar all but the wealthiest or those receiving trade union sponsorship from office, is for them to claim for un-extravagant accommodation in the capital.

Of course I realise that constituents who commute every day question the necessity for their MP to have a base near Westminster.

While I do not quibble at the necessary and very long hours this job entails, there are frequently times when I can only manage my commitments by staying overnight. I have never “flipped” or claimed household furniture but have always used the London flat wholly to carry out my role as an MP.

At the next election, I am sure that there will be candidates who say that they can do the job for less.

However, I have never considered this as merely a “job”, but as a vocation. I have never milked the system, but consistently tried to do my best for my constituents, my party and my country.

That is why I am so sorry that any action of mine has caused anger and why I am fully supporting the vigorous action David Cameron is taking to stop the abuse of the system.