TATTON MP and Shadow Chancellor George Osborne is facing an inquiry by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner into aspects of his expenses claims, it has emerged.
The move came after a complaint by his constituency’s Labour Party chairman Laurie Burton.
The watchdog’s probe concerns Mr Osborne’s second home designation between 2001and 2003 and mortgage claims he made after 2003.
A spokesman for Mr Osborne, whose constituency includes Barnton and Rudheath, said the complaint was “political”, and his expenses claims were above-board.
Mr Burton alleges that, between 2001 and 2003, Mr Osborne wrongly identified his main home for the purposes of claiming a second home allowance.
He also alleges that, from 2003, Mr Osborne claimed for mortgage payments “that were not necessarily incurred”.
Mr Osborne’s spokesman said he had always made it clear that his Cheshire property was his second home since he was first elected in 2001.
However, he said the MP had told the Commons authorities in 2001 that he had just increased his interest only mortgage on his London home to cover the cost of purchasing his Cheshire property - and was advised to claim against that until he could change the arrangements without incurring penalty fees.
“George Osborne has never switched designation for personal advantage,” his spokesman said.
“There has been absolutely no impropriety and any suggestion of such is wrong.”
He added that Mr Osborne was “relaxed” about the probe as he had always been “open” about his expenses.
