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Professor John Robertson OBA

Thanks to Kath Barr for suggesting this story.

I’m tired and one-handed this morning so over to Grok again:

Douglas Alexander, a British Labour Party MP, was implicated in the 2009 UK parliamentary expenses scandal for claims related to his second home. Key allegations include:

• Over £30,000 on Home Renovations: Alexander spent more than £30,000 of taxpayer money renovating his constituency home in Houston, Renfrewshire, which was damaged in a 2007 house fire. After the fire, he sought permission to claim expenses for temporary accommodation, including bedding, a television, a DVD player, and an oven roasting tin, totaling nearly £2,000. He repaid this amount after his insurance reimbursed him, as he had been “under-insured.” https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/what-they-claimed-mps-expenses-in-full-6782447.html and https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5292956/MPs-expenses-30000-improvements-to-Douglas-Alexanders-home-go-up-in-flames.html
• £12,000 Repayment for Double-Funding: Alexander repaid over £12,000 in expenses after it was revealed he claimed for his second home while also receiving rental income from a tenant at the same property between 2001 and 2005, which was against expenses rules. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Alexander and https://order-order.com/2023/02/13/expenses-scandal-mired-douglas-alexander-returns-as-labour-candidate/
• Other Claims: He claimed £150 in 2004 and £200 in 2005 for advertising at Johnstone Burgh FC, which critics argued should have been funded by the Labour Party, not taxpayers. Additional claims included a CD player, bed sheets, new garage doors, and a £105 chimney sweep. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/dec/10/mps-expenses-what-we-ve-learned-so-far and https://order-order.com/2023/02/13/expenses-scandal-mired-douglas-alexander-returns-as-labour-candidate/
• Media Trainer Costs: Alexander reportedly claimed the cost of hiring a media trainer on his office expenses, which raised questions about its necessity. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/mp_claiming_of_expenses

These claims drew scrutiny during the 2009 scandal, with Alexander’s spokesperson stating the £12,000 repayment was made “for the avoidance of doubt” and denying wrongdoing. No criminal charges were pursued, as per a 2009 Freedom of Information response from the Metropolitan Police Service, which noted no ongoing cases against MPs for expense claims deemed excessive by the House of Commons. https://order-order.com/2023/02/13/expenses-scandal-mired-douglas-alexander-returns-as-labour-candidate/ and https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/mp_claiming_of_expenses