If you thought that a new parliament would draw a line under the whole issue of MPs expenses then think again:

£10,000 claim makes Tory the first MP in an expenses row

NADINE DORRIES, the Conservative MP, faces the first expenses complaint of the new parliament after a row about a £10,000 claim she paid to a friend’s company.

Her former Commons researcher, Peter Hand, is writing to John Lyon, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, questioning whether the claim can be justified.

The complaint will undermine hopes that the expenses controversy can be consigned to the last parliament.

Hand’s complaint relates to a payment to Lynn Elson of Marketing Management Midlands Ltd of £9987.50 (£8500+VAT) in July 2007 for consultation on an annual report and quarterly newsletter, design, layout and production of an annual report and consultation on a constituency survey (see invoice/claim form). As we reported back in February, Dorries went on to claim a further £37,509.75 in allowances, between September 2008 and July 2009, to cover the cost of services supplied by Elson, having already claimed more than £21,000 for services provided by another PR company, Media Intelligence Partners, between November 2006 and September 2008.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Hand, who worked for Dorries as a researcher from 2005 until November 2008, said:

“The 2006 report was posted on her website and I was closely involved in its production.

“I was never aware a report was produced in 2007 and never saw one. Even if there was this leaflet, I don’t understand how the costs could be so high.”

In response, Dorries told the newspaper that a copy of the report had been posted on her website before adding that:

“I’ve done an annual report every year since I’ve been an MP. We did keep a lot of stuff from Peter.”

Dorries was, however, unable to provide the Sunday Times with either details of the printing firm that carried out the work or a breakdown of the work undertaken by Elson.

—-

Let’s try and follow the money…

Briefly – I know a thing or two about producing leaflets/newsletter having – a few years ago – worked for the NHS in a job which involved knocking out regular community health newsletters with a print/distribution run of 17,500 copies per issue, so let’s try and follow the money…

A couple of weeks ago, Dorries put up a blog post which noted that she’d been contacted by one of the Sunday’s and asked about this particular leaflet and, with a bit of help from Dizzy, managed to put up up a couple of photographs of it, including this one:

Mmm… not much to look at is it – and what there is doesn’t look very much like anything I’d personally call an ‘annual report’.

However, having checked her site using both Google and the Wayback Machine archives, I can find no evidence to support her contention that this leaflet was ever posted on her website or blog. Similarly, my own searches failed to turn up either a quarterly newsletter or an annual report, as I would understand the latter, nor any reference to a constituency survey of any description.

Finally, a check on her expenses documentation failed to turn up any claims/payment for delivery/distribution of this leaflet, which could mean only that this was covered by the payment to Elson, even though there no mention of distribution or delivery on the invoice.

So, what we have is double-sided A4 colour flyer with, at most, about 1000 words of text and three photographs and a payment of £8500 + VAT.

Dorries’s cheapest option would cost £1,100-£1,900 with a mid-range cost of  £2,600-£3,500 and a top-end cost of between £4,500 and £5,700, none of which are the kind of sums you’d neglect to even mention on an invoice, especially the solus option which would have left Elson looking at making loose change from the invoice in return for her consultancy work.

And that leave Dorries with a few questions to answer… because, so far, the numbers just don’t add up.

· About the author: 'Unity' is a regular contributor to Liberal Conspiracy. He also blogs at Ministry of Truth.

· Other posts by Unity

· Filed under: Blog , Conservative Party , Westminster

Reader comments

Reactions: Twitter, blogs

1. Christian DeFeo
   

   RT @hangbitch: Nice one Unity http://bit.ly/aVvj3D #sackdorries #exterminatedorries #justfuckengetridofdorries

2. Linda Jack
   

   RT @libcon Dorries faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/9qPAYT

3. 125 f8
   

   RT @Lindylooz: RT @libcon Dorries faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/9qPAYT

4. Sheryl Odlum
   

   RT @libcon: Dorries faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/9qPAYT

5. Mark Fitchett
   

   RT @chickyog: http://bit.ly/9qPAYT #sackdorries

6. Mike Power
   

   There is nothing so tedious and boring that it can't be made even more tedious and boring via the dead-hand of "Unity". http://is.gd/c14eU

7. Tim Footman
   

   RT @chickyog: http://bit.ly/9qPAYT #sackdorries Gotcha

8. Tank the Tories
   

   Excellent work RT @doctorcdf RT @hangbitch: Nice one Unity http://bit.ly/aVvj3D #sackdorries

9. David Briggs
   

   LAWL RT @humphreycushion: RT @chickyog: http://bit.ly/9qPAYT #sackdorries #pwnt #spookyposse

10. Chris Paul
    

    RT @Unity_MoT: Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – is only part of the £70k she spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sac …

11. Humphrey Cushion
    

    RT @Unity_MoT: Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – is only part of the £70k she spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sackdorries

12. Neil Ravenhill
    

    RT @Unity_MoT: Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – only part of £70k she spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sackdorries

13. Neil Ravenhill
    

    RT @Unity_MoT: Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – only part of £70k she spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sackdorries

14. Tim Ireland
    

    RT @Unity_MoT: Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – is only part of the £70k she spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sackdorries

15. Able Dick Talent
    

    RT @Unity_MoT: Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – is only part of the £70k she spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sac …

16. Tim Ireland
    

    I wonder if the same PR company in the story helped Nadine Dorries keep a lid on it for 2+ weeks http://bit.ly/9qPAYT #sackdorries

17. Adam Croft
    

    RT @bloggerheads: I wonder if the same PR company in the story helped Nadine Dorries keep a lid on it for 2+ weeks http://bit.ly/9qPAYT #sackdorries

18. Humphrey Cushion
    

    RT @bloggerheads: I wonder if the same PR company in the story helped Nadine Dorries keep a lid on it for 2+ weeks http://bit.ly/9qPAYT #sackdorries

19. Hannah Mudge
    

    RT @libcon Dorries faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/9hfRrp

20. Justin Baidoo
    

    RT @Unity_MoT: Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – is only part of the £70k she spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sac …

21. Boscoe Bellistre
    

    RT @NadiaKamil: Backwards&corrupt! Dorries' 10k claim http://bit.ly/9qPAYT is only part of the 70k she paid for PR as MP http://bit.ly/a …

22. Liberal Conspiracy
    

    Dorries faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/9qPAYT

23. OurManInAbiko
    

    RT @libcon: Dorries faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/9qPAYT

24. Kate B
    

    Nice one Unity http://bit.ly/aVvj3D #sackdorries #exterminatedorries #justfuckengetridofdorries

25. Adam Croft
    

    RT @libcon: Dorries faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/9qPAYT #sackdorries

26. Tweets that mention Liberal Conspiracy » Dorries faces new expenses query -- Topsy.com
    

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Liberal Conspiracy, Adam Croft, OurManInAbiko, Christian DeFeo, Kate B and others. Kate B said: Nice one Unity http://bit.ly/aVvj3D #sackdorries #exterminatedorries #justfuckengetridofdorries [...]

27. Les Crompton
    

    RT @libcon: Dorries faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/cnTLNk

28. Mike Morris
    

    RT @Lindylooz: RT @libcon Dorries faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/9qPAYT

29. Justin McKeating
    

    http://bit.ly/9qPAYT #sackdorries

30. Ian Hurst
    

    RT @libcon: NADINE DORRIES, the Conservative MP faces new expenses query http://bit.ly/9qPAYT

31. Humphrey Cushion
    

    RT @chickyog: http://bit.ly/9qPAYT #sackdorries

32. Ryan Bestford
    

    "Dorries faces new expenses query" – http://bit.ly/9gCd79 <Al Capone MP: If we can't get her for crimes against decency, expenses!

33. Unanswered questions
    

    [...] Unity says over at Liberal Conspiracy, there are a few unanswered questions about the new expenses row featuring Nadine Dorries.  I [...]

34. Unity
    

    Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – is only part of the £70k she spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sackdorries

35. Ryan Bestford
    

    RT @Unity_MoT: Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – is only part of the £70k she spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sackdorries

36. earwicga
    

    RT @Unity_MoT: Dorries' 10k claim – http://bit.ly/9qPAYT – is only part of the £70k spent on PR as an MP – http://bit.ly/atue4m #sackdorries

37. Phil Hatchard
    

    Ah, Nadine, you vile bitch. http://bit.ly/bxlblb http://bit.ly/9qPAYT http://bit.ly/bKlmWu http://bit.ly/dorriesout #sackdorries

38. Heather Noller
    

    RT @evilflea: Ah, Nadine, you vile bitch. http://bit.ly/bxlblb http://bit.ly/9qPAYT http://bit.ly/bKlmWu http://bit.ly/dorriesout #sackdorries

39. Nadia Kamil
    

    Backwards&corrupt! Dorries' 10k claim http://bit.ly/9qPAYT is only part of the 70k she paid for PR as MP http://bit.ly/atue4m #sackdorries