Tory MP Bob Blackman has been found guilty of repeatedly over-claiming for his mileage expenses by IPSA and has been ordered to pay back more than £1,000 to the taxpayer. In a damning report released this morning the expenses watchdog found:

• “on average, your claims are almost twice the distance shown on Google maps and in some cases, significantly more”
• “mileage claims submitted by Mr Blackman are, in almost every instance, not accurate and greater than the distance travelled”
• Blackman “wrongly submitted” claims including canvassing and party political events
• he “demonstrate[s] a pattern of incorrect claiming and a laissez-faire attitude to the submission of constituency mileage in general”

The total number of claims found by IPSA to be incorrect or not allowable is 734 and Blackman has been ordered to repay £1,006.20. If he had been in the private sector he probably wouldn’t have kept his job…