Cameron aide quits in mortgage row

12 April 2012

A Tory MP has resigned as one of David Cameron's closest aides as it emerged the taxpayer had been paying tens of thousands of pounds a year towards both of his homes.

Andrew MacKay - who until Thursday morning was the Conservative Party leader's Parliamentary aide - apologised "profusely" after Mr Cameron described the claims as unacceptable.

Meanwhile, fellow Conservative MP Douglas Hogg agreed to repay expenses totalling £2,200 after controversy over claims that he used the money to clear a moat at his country home.

Mr MacKay, who is married to Bromsgrove MP Julie Kirkbride, claimed more than £1,000 a month to cover mortgage interest payments on their joint flat near Westminster.

At the same time, Ms Kirkbride used her own second homes allowance to claim more than £900 a month towards the home loan on their family home in Bromsgrove.

Mr MacKay said it had never previously occurred to him there was anything wrong with the arrangement until it was taken up with him by a Conservative audit of claims this week.

He said the designation of their homes had been suggested to them by the House of Commons Fees Office. The arrangement had been in place for "eight or nine years".

"This was all transparent, it was all approved and frankly until it was drawn to my attention it did not occur to me that it didn't pass the 'reasonableness' test," he said. "I must say when it was drawn to my attention my first reaction was that the right thing to do was to resign my post, which I did very first thing today with David."

He added: "Looking back now, it does look strange, I have clearly made an error of judgment for which I profusely apologise and I've done what I think is the right thing."

The MP promised to pay back however much money an internal Conservative panel feels is appropriate.

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