A Dundee politician has strongly defended the legal action he took after the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) refused to pay for his £24 train ticket landing it with a £27,000 legal bill.
Jim McGovern, Dundee West MP, had tried to claim for the £23.90 fare from Dundee to Glasgow where he was attending a Labour party meeting, before he flew on to London from Glasgow on Westminster business.
However, the parliamentary body rejected the Dundee to Glasgow train ticket claim on the grounds that the event Mr McGovern attended in Glasgow was party political.
Mr McGovern appealed the decision, ultimately taking IPSA to a tribunal which the MP then lost.
IPSA has revealed its cost of defending Mr McGovern’s appeal ran to £27,000, a bill which will be footed by the taxpayer.
But Mr McGovern has defended his action, saying the staggered route he took to London in fact worked out cheaper.
“The whole point of this tribunal was it cost the public purse less for me to make that journey Dundee to Glasgow, Glasgow to London,” he said.
Mr McGovern added: “I want to make it crystal clear that I have not spent one penny of public money on legal representation. If IPSA are saying they have spent £27,000, that’s their affair.”
Mr McGovern said his own costs will be met by his union, the GMB.
But North East Scotland SNP MSP Mark McDonald has now called on him to reimburse IPSA.
“At a time when many households are struggling to make ends meet it is unbelievable that Mr McGovern has run up this enormous bill,” he said.
For the full story, see Monday’s Courier or try our digital edition.