New police inquiry into Denis MacShane's MP expenses

Scotland Yard has announced a new investigation into alleged expenses fiddling by former Europe minister Denis MacShane.

It follows a report by Parliament’s sleaze watchdog that revealed the long-serving Labour MP had submitted bogus receipts to claim thousands of pounds.

A Met spokesman said that after seeing the report by the Standards and Privileges Committee, detectives would look again at expenses claims Mr MacShane said were made to fund genuine political activities.

The original criminal inquiry was dropped last July after Parliamentary authorities refused to let police see letters Mr MacShane wrote to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. Mr MacShane resigned as MP for Rotherham after the commissioner’s report, which detailed his claims and some of the correspondence, was published in November.