David Miliband yet to commit over money

May 15 2009 by William Green, The Journal

A SORRY David Miliband may yet repay nearly £30,000 for decorations, furnishings and repairs for his South Shields constituency home paid by taxpayers.

The South Shields MP also spent up to £180 every three months on the garden of his constituency home.

Even his gardener ‘questioned’ the Foreign Secretary’s spending, writing at the bottom of a receipt for £132.96 in April 2008: “Please let me know if you would like pots making up at front and back this year, given the relatively short time you’ll be here and their labour-intensive nature.”

The Cabinet minister said it was “right to say sorry” and backed the Prime Minister’s calls for a new system that would be seen as “wholly fair”.

And after a report suggested Mr Miliband would not be repaying money, his constituency office yesterday denied he was refusing to pay back taxpayers’ cash.

A spokesman said: “It has not yet been decided whether the money will be paid back. That is a decision for David. I do not know what his intention is as I haven’t spoken to him about it.”

Meanwhile, doubts emerged about the future of Commons Speaker Michael Martin when Tory party chairman Eric Pickles stated he had “confidence” only in the office rather than the post-holder.