Standards chief steps down in expenses scandal
Mr Curry reported himself to the standards committee
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Friday, 20, Nov 2009 04:47
By politics.co.uk staff
The Tory chairman of the parliamentary standards committee is standing down in the wake of new expenses claims.
David Curry is alleged to have spent £30,000 of public funds towards a home he only stayed in a handful of times over the last few years, according to the Telegraph, which broke the story overnight.
The problems came after Mr Curry and his wife fell out, following allegations of an affair.
When the couple patching up their relationship, Mr Curry is said to have been ordered not to stay in the house, due to its association with the affair.
Following that point he only stayed at the house a handful of times, the Telegraph claims, but continued to claim allowances on it as his second home.
Mr Curry would be able to make a profit on the house if he stood down as an MP.
He has already reported himself to the standards commissioner.
The MP for Skipton and Ripon admitted the affair today but said allegations about being banned by his wife from his constituency home were "akin to Harry Potter".
"My wife has not banned me from anything. I had an affair, there is no denying that. We got over it," he said.
"If you were repairing your relationship with someone, you would want to spend as much time with them as possible.
"My expenses are very modest. They are completely above board. I am the second cheapest MP in Yorkshire."
The news will come as an extreme embarrassment for the Conservatives, who only yesterday were berating Gordon Brown for not including legislation on parliamentary reform in the Queen's Speech.
But it will also be hugely damaging to parliament as a whole, which was just taking the first hesitant steps towards cleaning itself of the expenses scandal in the shape of Sir Christopher Kelly's review.