Labour’s chief Lords whip to resign over expenses claims

LABOUR’S chief whip in the House of Lords is to resign after he admitted claiming £41,000 in travel expenses. Lord Bassam of Brighton has told peers that he intends to resign after agreeing to pay back the money, which was spent on rail tickets and rail fares.

The 64-year-old, who is a member of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, claimed a total £260,000 in expenses over a seven-year period, which he is permitted to do under the Lords office holders’ allowance, which is capped at £36,366 a year. However, rather than using the allowance to cover the cost of staying overnight in London, Lord Bassam instead travelled to and from his home on the south coast.

Lord Bassam said that while he had not breached parliamentary rules, he could have dealt with the issue in a “more appropriate” way. Labour said he would step down in early 2018 once a successor had been chosen.