Ex-Labour Minister jailed over £31,000 false expenses claims

The ex-Scunthorpe MP became the highest profile victim of the Westminster expenses scandal after fraudulently claiming £15,200 in inflated mortgage interest claims, then another £16,800 after the mortgage on his Winterton home in Lincolnshire had been paid off.

The fraud went on for three-and-a-half years as Morley exploited the lax Parliamentary system to pocket the money without ever submitting a mortgage interest statement to back it up.

Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, told Southwark Crown Court that Morley had “engaged in the wholesale abuse of the expenses system”.

Judge Mr Justice Saunders said Morley, who is 58 and suffers from depression and diabetes, had “thrown away his good name and character” after a “distinguished” political career. He said he was satisfied the excessive claims – which have been repaid – were “made deliberately and are not explicable even in part by oversight”.

Imposing a shorter sentence than the 18 months for former Bury North MP David Chaytor, who falsely claimed £22,650, the judge said: “While this defendant is charged with obtaining more money than any other MP and over a long period, the degree of sophistication in carrying out the fraud was less than in some other cases.”

Morley admitted two charges of false accounting. Jim Sturman QC, defending, said he had made a “grotesque error of judgment” but insisted he had repaid the money quickly. He said: “This is a truly tragic end to a lifetime of public service. He’s done an immense amount of good, often for no pay, often outside the parameters of his life in politics.”

The director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, Matthew Sinclair, said: “Morley’s jail sentence is justice for taxpayers whom he cheated and stole from. The damage done by the MPs’ expenses scandal is still being repaired and it will take time to restore the public’s trust in the system.”

Labour said Morley would be excluded from the party.