Archive for January 14th, 2014
Simmonds claims expenses for missed vote
(CNS): The overseas territories minister has made an expenses claim for attending the UK parliament last year, even though he missed a crucial vote which the coalition government lost. Mark Simmonds was one of ten government members that missed the vote on the British Prime Minister’s proposal to launch strikes against Syria. At the time of the vote Simmonds claimed he was in conversation with a government colleague in a room yards from the Commons chamber and did not hear the division bell. According to records released by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and published by the Daily Mail, although he missed the vote Simmonds claimed £112.50 for the drive to Westminster and back from his constituency.
Prime Minister David Cameron recalled Parliament on 29 August during the summer break to debate the principle of British involvement in military action in Syria after reports of war crimes by the Assad regime against his own people. While Simmonds had been embarrassed as an FCO minister by his failure to make it to the chamber, he still put in the claim for his day trip to London.