Is it bad news for McNulty punters?
Legg rules that he doesn’t have to pay anything back?
At the end of March several PBers, including me, risked their cash on the William Hill market that the former minister, Tony McNulty, would be forced to pay money back following reports that he’d claimed £60,000 of taxpayers’ money for the mortgage on a house he owns in his Harrow constituency where his parent live.
As was 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 the commons. Although McNulty handed some money back voluntarily Hills ruled that it did not meet the terms of the bet that he be ordered to cough up.
Now there’s news from Paul Waugh at the Standard that McNulty has been told by Legg that he won’t have to repay any of his second home allowance.
But there was a sting in the tail – “Sir Thomas added that his findings did not deal with any payments under separate investigation by the Standards Commissioner.”
Let’s hope it’s resolved quickly – if nothing happens before the end of the year the bet expires. I’ve got £100 at 5/1 riding on it though I guess that the former minister has a lot more!