No Letter From Legg For Nick Raynsford

As has been widely publicised, many MPs have received letters in the last week requesting the repayment of wrongly claimed expenses following a review by Sir Thomas Legg. The review has asked for thousands of pounds in expenses to be paid back to the public purse, including a request for £12,000 to be repaid by the Prime Minister.

Greenwich and Woolwich MP, Nick Raynsford, has confirmed that he received no such letter and has not been asked to repay any expenses.

Nick Raynsford said today:

“I know that the issue of MPs’ expenses is one that remains high in many people’s minds when they think about politics and I wanted to take the opportunity, in light of the Legg review, to make sure that residents in Greenwich and Woolwich are fully aware of my position.

“I have never claimed for a second home, nor for any furniture or fittings. My expense claim is the 37th lowest out of 646 MPs and the vast majority of my expense claim is spent on employing members of staff who assist me in taking up constituents’ cases whenever they come to me with a problem.

“The process of going through other MPs’ expenses will take time and will continue to generate negative comments about politics and about Members of Parliament. I hope that by making my position as clear as possible, local residents will be reassured about my position. If any residents have any queries about any elements of my claims for expenses, which were all published earlier this year, then they are welcome to write to my office to seek further clarification or to visit my website at www.nickraynsford.org.uk”