Former Scunthorpe MP & Labour Minister Convicted

Former Labour Minister and Member of Parliament for Scunthorpe, Mr. Elliot Morley (previous post here), has been jailed for sixteen months as part of the on-going fall-out of the Parliamentary Expenses Scandal.

Mr. Morley pocketed more than £30,000 from bogus expenses claims. The former Environment Minister cheated the House of Commons' second home allowances system by lying about the amount he was paying on his mortgage. He submitted nineteen claim forms stating he was liable for £800 a month mortgage interest repayments on his constituency home in Winterton, near Scunthorpe, when the total he repaid was just £666.

The former Labour parliamentarian for Scunthorpe made a further twenty-one claims on the same property between March 2006 and November 2007, when the whole of the mortgage had been completely been paid off.

Mr. Justice Saunders told him it was a case of 'blatant dishonesty'. Morley, who illegally claimed a total of £31,333, admitted two counts of false accounting. Mr. James Sturman, QC, defending, said his client had been wrongly characterised as greedy, and praised his record as environment minister, describing his fall as 'tragic'.

Elliot Morley's decision to step down at the next General Election

Dr. Caroline Johnson reacts to Scunthorpe MPs decision to stand-down

Former minister Elliot Morley, Member of Parliament for Scunthorpe, has announced he will stand down at the next general election over his involvement in the expenses scandal. Mr Morley made the announcement after meeting with local Labour Party officials in his Scunthorpe constituency. The former agriculture minister has already been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party over the allegations and referred to the party's disciplinary panel.

Mr Morley claimed for mortgage interest payments totalling £16,000 - 18 months after the mortgage was paid off. He has apologised and repaid the money, blaming 'sloppy accounting'. Mr Morley said the pressure had been affecting his family and his health and insisted the decision was his own, made after consultation with his family and constituency officers.

In a statement he said:

"The last two weeks have been traumatic for me and I have to think of my family and my health, both of which have suffered.

"Nor do I want in any way to undermine the strong position the Labour Party has in this constituency in what will be a crucial election."

Mr Morley added that he had made a 'genuine mistake' and insisted that he believed he would be cleared of any wrong-doing.

The Daily Telegraph also alleged that Mr Morley rented out a London flat designated as his main residence to another Labour MP, Ian Cawsey, a close friend and former special adviser.

Mr Morley has denied any wrongdoing and said he used the money from his Labour colleague to reduce his claim to the taxpayer.

Caroline Johnson, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Scunthorpe said that she was "happy" that he would be standing down at the next election.