Expenses row ministers plan comebacks for 2015 election

A string of former Labour MPs who lost their seats following the expenses row may be planning comebacks at the 2015 election, the Standard has learned.

Former minister Dawn Butler, who was ousted as MP for Brent in 2010, is seeking a rematch against Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather and has won the backing of senior Labour MPs for a bid for the Brent Central seat.

Ms Teather won a 1,345 majority in 2010 after Ms Butler’s campaign was overshadowed by the furore over her expenses, including a report that she claimed for a “whirlpool” bath.

The then Labour MP for Brent South — which was abolished in boundary changes — strongly denied claiming for the bath as part of an £800 bill to the taxpayer for a new bathroom suite.

The former minister for young citizens insisted that all her expenses were legitimate and that the official inquiry into MPs’ second homes had cleared her of any wrongdoing.

However, she was criticised by opponents for claiming thousands of pounds for a second London home despite having one within 10 miles of Westminster. She had a house in Wembley and one in Stratford.

Ms Butler, 42, claimed £37,245 in taxpayers’ cash over two years to pay for a second property. Her office said that she moved into the Wembley house after being elected in 2005 to allow her to serve her constituents.

Today, she told the Standard that she had been “exonerated” over her expenses and launched a stinging attack on Ms Teather, who was sacked as education minister in the reshuffle last month.

On her plans to become Labour’s candidate for Brent Central, she said: “It gives me the opportunity to clear my name. I made legitimate claims to help with the transition (moving into her constituency home).

“Sarah Teather has been a great disappointment. She will have to be accountable to the policies and decisions that she backed in government, which resulted in thousands of young people not being able to fulfil their dreams of going to university or getting employment.” Ms Teather declined to comment.