Brian Binley Liquor Letter

Brian Binley MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA June 22, 2009 Sent by post Dear Mr Binley, Regarding two claims for 'liquor' totalling £18.44 th Thank you for your response dated 18 June to our letter regarding the expenses you claimed on your flat in Pimlico which you rented from your company B.C.C Marketing. We are still considering our next course of action in regards to this matter. You have recently said publicly that you had no intention of paying any money back to the taxpayer as you feel you have done nothing wrong. We are however concerned about some other expenses irregularities that we have come across. For example; having examined your receipts we came across two claims for 'liquor' on two separate hotel stays. The first is dated 28/10/05 and is for a mini-bar bill totalling £3.04 and the second is dated 19/01/06 for a minibar totalling £15.40. The Green Book clearly states in section 2.1.3.2 that expenses should be for 'overnight accommodation', not for anything that would make such a stay more bearable. Can you please confirm that you did claim for 'liquor' from the hotel mini-bar and whether you will be willing to repay this expense? If you are unwilling to repay the £18.44 that you have claimed from the taxpayer could you please provide us with an explanation as to why you think this a legitimate parliamentary expense wholly and exclusively necessary for your work as an MP. If we do not receive a satisfactory reply from you it is our intention to pursue this matter with the House authorities. Yours sincerely,

T : 020 7837 3312 F : 070 9201 2337 E : [email protected] Albion Buildings, 1 Back Hill, London, EC1R 5EN A not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, advocating political transparency and openness.

Christopher Galley Centre for Open Politics [email protected]

T : 020 7837 3312 F : 070 9201 2337 E : [email protected] Albion Buildings, 1 Back Hill, London, EC1R 5EN A not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, advocating political transparency and openness.