Following our story that West Midlands Mayoral candidate Liam Byrne had been reported to IPSA for diverting Parliamentary expenses towards his campaign, a constituent has pointed to another diversion of expenses. As you can see from the sign on Byrne’s Birmingham constituency office, he is using the office – funded on the basis that it is used exclusively for his Parliamentary responsibilities – as his mayoral campaign headquarters. The sign ambiguously reads “Labour Election Headquarters”…

Any use of parliamentary funded premises for Byrne’s mayoral campaign will have to be repaid to IPSA, MPs in similar circumstances have been asked in the past to apportion costs and repay the taxpayer accordingly. Guido will be scrutinising Byrne’s next IPSA return very carefully…