Tory MP could be jailed over £700 furniture ‘expenses fraud’

A CONSERVATIVE MP charged yesterday with falsifying his expenses now faces the threat of prison.

Chris Davies is accused of fabricating two invoices totalling £700 for furniture and pictures in his constituency office.

The former ministerial aide, 51, will appear in court next month to face two counts of forgery and one of providing false or misleading information.

The allegations were passed to Scotland Yard last April by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) expenses watchdog. The MP for Brecon and Radnorshire in Wales, a former parliamentary private secretary to the Wales Office, was then questioned under caution.

Mr Davies, pictured, has blamed the issue on an ‘honest mistake’ and claims he paid back £700 from his own pocket. He said the alleged offence, which dates back to 2016, was a ‘technical breach’ of expenses rules and denied trying to claim funds he was not entitled to. Forgery concerning amounts below £17,500 can result in a jail term of up to 21 months, according to sentencing guidelines.

Ipsa said the allegations related to the £6,000 ‘ start-up’ budget offered to help new MPs set up a constituency office. The Conservative Party raised the issue last year in a letter to Mr Davies highlighting the ‘seriousness of the allegations’, The Mail on Sunday reported at the time.

Mr Davies said yesterday: ‘I am very disappointed at today’s announcement by the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service]. I have explained previously the circumstances that led to the investigation, relating to events dating back to when I was a newlyelected MP over three years ago.’

The backbencher, a former auctioneer and estate agent, was first elected in 2015 after ousting longserving Lib Dem MP Roger Williams and increased his majority to 8,038 in the 2017 snap election. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on March 22. A string of politicians were jailed over the Parliamentary expenses scandal that emerged in 2009. They include ex-Labour minister Denis MacShane, who was given six months in 2013 for bogus claims amounting to nearly £13,000 for ‘ research and translation’. Former Labour MP Jim Devine was jailed for 16 months in 2011 for submitting claims of more than £8,000 for cleaning

and printing.