Fresh disgrace for MP Conway

MP Derek Conway suffered a fresh disgrace when he was ordered to pay back thousands of pounds in public money dished out to another family member.

Westminster's sleaze watchdog ordered the former Tory whip to apologise and return more than £3,700 that was wrongly paid to elder son Henry for research and admin duties.

The Standards and Privileges Committee also pointed out there was "no documentary or other hard evidence" that the student actually did any work.

The criticism came almost exactly a year after the Old Bexley and Sidcup MP was suspended from the House for 10 days and ordered to repay £13,161 handed to younger son, Freddie, for work he did not appear to have done.

That case sparked uproar over MPs' generous allowances regime, and led to calls for a ban on them employing family members.

There were demands for Mr Conway to stand down immediately from the Commons and the Leader of the House, Harriet Harman, signalled that MPs would be given the chance to debate his punishment.

Mr Conway said he would be complying with the committee's wishes by paying the cash back and apologising.

He denied trying to "defraud" the public, and insisted the report largely vindicated him by agreeing that Henry had indeed been carrying out work and he was justified in employing him.

"There was considerable evidence that he was around, doing the job," he added. "His was the lowest grade of researcher and parliamentary assistant, he was about the midpoint of the lowest grade."

Mr Conway said he believed his case was getting particular scrutiny because Labour was trying to get the cash-for-influence row off the front pages and because Henry was gay and had a "flamboyant" nature. "It's an opportunity for the Labour Party to pile in and get their thing off the front pages," he said. "This is how they play the game... It's a tough game."