Call for Oldham MP Woolas to repay expenses

2.04.23pm GMT Wed 3rd Feb 2010

The Liberal Democrats have called on Oldham East & Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas to confirm that he will repay Parliamentary Expenses used to create a party-political website.

House of Commons expenses rules state that "No party political material is permitted in any part of a publication or website funded wholly or in part from the allowance."

Following a complaint in Spring 2009 about party-political stories on this taxpayer-funded website, the House of Commons authorities spoke to Mr Woolas and in late 2009 he agreed to fund the website himself.

However, Oldham East & Saddleworth Liberal Democrat Treasurer, David Hampson, is not satisfied.

He said, "The main cost involved in the creation of a website is its initial design. As this is clearly a campaigning and party-political website that falls outside what is allowed to be funded by expenses, Mr Woolas should also be responsible for the cost of setting up the website in the first place. We must restore trust in politics after the shocking events of the last 12 months, therefore in the interest of our Parliamentary system of democracy, I am calling on Mr Woolas to do the right thing and repay these expenses immediately."