Cameron's aide resigns over expenses
Thursday, 14 May 2009 3:16 PM
By politics.co.uk staff
David Cameron's Commons aide has become the first casualty of the expenses scandal, issuing his resignation this morning.
Over the course of eight years, Andrew MacKay and his wife, Tory backbencher Julie Kirkbridge both claimed their respective full allowances, despite living together.
"He submitted his papers to an examination and that examination revealed a state of affairs which I don't think is reasonable or acceptable," Tory leader David Cameron said.
Mr MacKay called Mr Cameron this m orning to offer his resignation.
"The examination of his past allowances revealed an unacceptable situation that would not stand up to public scrutiny," a Tory spokesperson said.
"Although Mr MacKay maintains that those arrangements were agreed by the Fees Office, he resigned this morning with immediate effect," the spokesman added.
The statement indicates that Tory HQ is now taking the situation very seriously indeed, with further heads expected to roll as the week goes on.
In an interview with the BBC this morning, he said: "I feel it is important to apologise.
"I have let a lot of people down. I passionately belive in parliament and our democracy and it's important members of parliament are held in high regard."
Mr MacKay will appear in front of the new scrutiny panel to discover how much he has to pay back.
Senior Conservative Lord Tebbit told the BBC it was "tragic".
"There has been a sort of peer pressure of unacceptable behaviour," he said. "This attitude has been prevalent in the Commons and I think Andrew has done the right thing."
Mr MacKay is MP for Bracknell in Berkshire.
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