MP Doug Henderson under fire over phone bill expense claim

Jun 1 2009 by David Old, The Journal

A NORTH MP has come under fire for reportedly claiming a phone bill at his third home.

Newcastle MP Doug Henderson is said to have put an expenses claim for £800 for landline calls made from his house in Anstruther, Fife.

Mr Henderson has already been criticised for spending most of his time in the Scottish village 150 miles from his Tyneside constituency.

And it emerged last week that he had been paid £100,000 from fast food firm McDonald’s over the past four years for work as an adviser.

The latest claims show his total phone bills for the three properties in 2007/08 totaled £2,630. And he claimed a total of £151,860 in expenses for travel, home, office and staffing costs.