Did you get the 5/1 that he’d have to pay some back?

On March 28th I suggested here that you should take the 5/1 bet then being offered by William Hill that one of the first round troughers, minister Tony McNulty would “pay back any of his housing expenses”. I got £100 on so I’m looking forward to £500 in winnings and, of course, my stake back.

It’s seems a very long time ago but just eight weeks ago McNulty was then the big story and was facing a formal investigation by John Lyon, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, over the £60,000 of taxpayers’ money he claimed for the mortgage on a house he owns in his Harrow constituency where his parent live.

As has been reported this was close to his constituency office and just 11 miles from Westminster. McNulty himself lives in his wife’s house in Hammersmith, three miles from Westminster.

His case has been totally over-shadowed by the deluge of other exposes but I’ve just discovered that he has paid some money back.

This is from the latest edition of the Harrow Times: “..Tony McNulty (Lab/Harrow East) came under fire in March for claiming £60,000 on a second home in Kenton, which his parents live in..This week he admitted claiming £2,600 of interest on the mortgage over four years, which he is not supposed to do..He also over-claimed on council tax by £455 over the same period but said both were a mistake and has paid the money back.“

At the time I wrote: “It seems a great bet and with luck you should have the satisfaction of making some money.. .”

So tomorrow I’ll be emailing the story to Hills and asking that they settle the market. Others who got on should also get paid.

Mike Smithson