Tory minister 'devastated' after Independent reveals driving fine she incurred in spending

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A government minister who claimed a driving fine over her MP's expenses says she was 'devastated' when she found out what she had done .

The Independent revealed over the weekend that Amanda Solloway and other MPs had been reimbursed by Parliament's spending watchdog for penalty notices

Speaking on Thursday, the Minister for Energy said: "When I heard the news, I was just absolutely devastated. I intentionally wouldn't do anything [ like this] - it was a real administrative error."

The £80 fixed penalty notice sent to her while she was driving London in July 2020 was under the heading " MPs' travel expenses'.

Ms Solloway, who refunded the money when approached about the story, said the fine was for 'a congestion charge'.

"Obviously as soon as I found out I refunded it and also made sure I was looking at ways in the future to make sure it didn't happen again", she told Sky News.

"But the thing is, it happened, I paid it back, and I knew I was likely to be asked about it today' today. However, I want to come and tell someone, you know, it was a real mistake, and I paid it back."

Other MPs who have demanded fines include the Tory MP and Select Committee Chairman Simon Hoare, former Tory Vice-Chairman Bim Afolami and SNP MP Dave Doogan.

Ms Solloway and Mr Afolami said the expenses had been submitted in error, and both confirmed they had refunded the costs after The Independent approached them.The other MPs have yet to respond.

The penalties claimed were issued by Transport for London, which imposes fines on drivers who violate traffic laws, such as parking on double red lines, driving on buha lanes, and improperly using disabled bays.

Expenses have been approved and paid by the Parliamentary Expenditure Authority IPSA (the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) - but after being approached by The Independent she admitted it had been wrong to do so.

< p>IPSA said it would write to MPs asking for the money back, and would also 'reiterate' the spending rules to them.

An IPSA spokesperson said said: "MPs are not permitted to claim penalties and fines under IPSA rules. Paragraph 3.26 of the Members' Personnel and Enterprise Expenses Schedule makes it clear that these fines are not claimable.

"IPSA checks have in some cases failed to identify these claims and some of them have been paid. We will be contacting MPs and asking them to reimburse, where appropriate. We have changed our process to...