Labour frontbencher Abena Oppong-Asare billed taxpayers for a £55 parking fine
31 July 2023, 08:41
A member of Sir Keir Starmer’s top team billed taxpayers for a £55 parking ticket, it has emerged.
Shadow treasury minister Abena Oppong-Asare claimed the ticket after a constituency surgery overran. Her expenses included the fine - after a staff member received a ticket while parked outside a constituency surgery in her Erith and Thamesmead seat.
Following a review, the scandal prompted the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) to change its processes.
She only paid back the fine once her actions were uncovered by The Independent.
Sir Alistair Graham, the former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, told the paper: “We should not have to rely on The Independent to protect the public finances.”
He urged IPSA to take greater care in processing claims from MPs, saying “the devil is in the detail”.
Labour said it was an 'administrative error' by a staff member.
The expenses watchdog said: “MPs and their staff are not allowed to claim for penalty charges and fines under IPSA rules.”
“IPSA's checks failed in this case to identify that the claim was not allowed. It has now been repaid.
“We have changed our process to ensure any future such claims are not paid.”
The claim for the parking ticket was made as a ‘staff travel’ expense.
She told the Independent that a member of staff submitted the claim without her knowledge, having received the ticket while dealing with a ‘distressed constituent’ at a surgery, which caused it to overrun.
Labour stressed the ticket was claimed back by a member of staff, not by Ms Oppong-Asare herself.
