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MP at centre of row over second home expenses dodges questions - see the video here!
Corby and East Northamptonshire MP Phil Hope says he has done nothing wrong in claiming and receiving more than £37,000 to refurbish and furnish his London second home.
Mr Hope has been caught up in the MPs' expenses scandal after the Daily Telegraph published details of his claims on Saturday.
But speaking to the Evening Telegraph, Mr Hope said money he received for his two-bedroom flat in Southwark over the past four years was claimed in accordance with the rules.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the minister for care services claimed for a range of items, including a 3,500 bathroom, 798 for two bookcases, a coffee table worth 299, 750 for a television, 240 on saucepans, 125 on a lounge lamp and more than 52 on cutlery for his two-bedroom flat.
Other claims included nearly 4,800 to replace carpets with 45m of wooden floor and 2,100 as a part payment for kitchen equipment from Ikea.
Mr Hope today dodged questions from reporters about the weekend's revelations that he spent 37,000 refurbishing his second home.
Mr Hope appeared in public for the first time since the Daily Telegraph published details of his expenses claims over the weekend. He was at Corby Business Academy to address young people about the effects of the recession on their future.
Following the event, reporters questioned Mr Hope about the expenses row but he declined to answer any their questions on the subject.
Mr Hope has already spoken on the issue, saying he had done nothing wrong when claiming for the refurbishment of his home in the London borough of Southwark.
According to the newspaper, the minister for care services claimed for items including two bookshelves at 798 and 125 on a lounge lamp.
Phil Hope has said how sorry he is to his constituents after deciding to pay back 41,709 he has claimed in expenses over the past five years. Click here to read more.
After days of pressure over his Parliamentary expenses claim, Corby and East Northants MP Phil Hope has apologised to his constituents and said he would pay back the 41,709 he has claimed over the past five years. Click here to read more.
Phil Hope will be hoping his decision to repay his past five years expenses claims will protect his career as an MP. Click here to read more.
Where has all the bluster gone? Click here to read more.
The Labour Party in Corby has admitted the upset caused by Phil Hope's expenses debacle will not respond to a "quick fix". Click here to read more.
Phil Hope has said his plans to pay back 41,700 in expenses is a purely personal decision. Click here to read more.
Phil Hope has revealed he will pay back more than 41,000 in the latest twist in the MP expenses row. Click here to read more.
Anger over Corby MP Phil Hope's expenses continued as the leaders of both main political parties were forced to make humiliating apologies for some of their members' extravagant claims. Click here to read more.
A political expert at Northampton University has criticised Corby and East Northants MP Phil Hope and his fellow MPs for the way the way they have used the expenses system to feather their nests. Click here to read more.
Kettering MP Philip Hollobone has been dubbed Westminster's cheapest MP in the past for submitting the lowest expense claims in the country. Click here to read more.
Mr Hope said: "The purchases I made were no more than was necessary to live in a habitable residence and replacements only occurred when furniture and fittings were worn out."
The Labour MP said the items wouldn't have been paid for if he had been claiming for something he was not entitled to claim for.
"The fees office decides what items are paid for," he said. " I think the public want to see a different system in place."
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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