A LABOUR MP will pay back £2,300 for using taxpayers’ cash for “campaigning” just a day after the election was called, an inquiry has found.
Marsha de Cordova was found in breach of strict Parliamentary rules for sending out a “personal election pledge” letter to constituents.
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She will now reimburse the public purse for misused stationery that wasn’t supporting her activities as an MP, the probe concluded.
Ms de Cordova sent the letter to 1,601 constituents just 24 hours after Rishi Sunak called the general election back in May.
The formal investigation found that there was a lack of detail about her specific constituency and a general statement about her “mission” to make the Battersea constituency the best place to live and work.
She signed off the letter saying she will continue to raise issues if she was re-elected.
These included issues around energy bills, delays to immigration and asylum claims and transport issues.
The inquiry was led by Daniel Greenberg, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, who said he was satisfied her letter included campaigning with a pledge based on her track record.
He also said there was an appeal to potential voters which could be characterised as “promoting her re-election to public office”.
The inquiry report revealed that Ms de Cordova accepted the decision and apologised for the breach of the rules.
She will pay back the money totalling £2,388 to cover the costs of paper, envelopes and postage.
The matter will not be sent to the Standards Committee for consideration.
Ms de Cordova told the inquiry that the letter sent out was “not in any way party-political, indeed there is not a single mention of a political party and did not include any political campaign messaging”.
