Minister [Mark Simmonds] claims £100 to return for vote on Syria which he missed because he was CHATTING and did not hear the bell
By Matt Chorley and Jason Groves From The Daily Mail UK
David Cameron was humiliated after losing by just 13 votes in August
8 ministers, 2 whips and 2 ministerial aides failed to turn up
Justine Greening and Mark Simmonds claimed division bell didn’t sound
Foreign Office minister Simmonds claimed £112 for driving to Westminster
A minister has claimed expenses for returning to Parliament for last year’s crunch debate on Syria, despite missing the crucial vote.
Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds faced embarrassment last summer after it emerged he was one of 10 members of the Government who missed the key vote on David Cameron’s bid to launch retaliatory strikes against Syria, which was lost.
He was apparently deep in conversation about Rwanda with International Development Secretary Justine Greening in a room just yards from the Commons chamber and did not hear the bell for the crucial vote.
Foreign office minister Mark Simmonds claimed £100 to return to the Commons for a vote – which he missed because he was in a nearby rooming discussing Rwanda with International Development Secretary Justine Greening
But figures released by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) revealed that, despite missing the vote, Mr Simmonds lodged two mileage claims totalling £112.50 for driving to Westminster and back from his constituency in Boston, Lincolnshire.
Mr Cameron recalled Parliament on August 29 to debate the principle of British involvement in military action in Syria, after reports of war crimes by the Assad regime against his own people.
Figures released yesterday revealed that MPs have so far claimed more than £8,000 in expenses for travelling back for the one-day sitting of Parliament, although the final figure is likely to be significantly higher.
MPs voted by 272 votes to 285 to reject British intervention military in principle, forcing David Cameron to abandon all plans for the UK to become involved in Syria.
In total 10 members of David Cameron’s government failed to turn up to take part in the vote on military action in Syria which the Prime Minister lost by just 13 votes.
Other prominent expense claims for returning for the vote included a £550 bill for a flight back from Nice, France, by Chief Whip Sir George Young, who was accused of presiding over a ‘shambolic’ whipping operation.
Sir George claimed an identical sum to fly his wife Aurelia home with him.
Cabinet minister Miss Greening, who did not claim expenses to return to London, was forced to apologise to Mr Cameron personally for failing to enter the division lobby in time to register her name.
The House of Commons was stunned when the result of the Syria vote was announced, inflicting an embarrassing defeat on the Prime Minister
The vote forced David Cameron to abandon any plans to for Britain to be involved in military action in Syria
But it sparked a public spat between the minister and Commons officials, who insisted the bells were working correctly.
All MPs knew there would be two votes – one after another – at 10pm at the end of yesterday’s eight-hour debate.
Miss Greening and Mr Simmonds, minister for Africa, both took part in the first vote to defeat the Labour amendment to the motion.
But they then went off for a discussion on a Rwanda in the Reasons Room – a small, ‘almost soundproofed’ office reserved for ministers near the Chamber.
A source close to Miss Greening suggested clerks ‘confirmed’ they had not rung the bell and by the time she realised the mistake, the vote had happened.
After MailOnline reported the claims, Commons officials carried out tests on the bells to proive they were working and had been rung.
Government chief whip Sir George Young claimed £550 to return from holiday in France while Labour’s shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt claimed £420 for help with his tax returns
Defence minister Philip Dunne billed taxpayers for a £152 taxi ride from his holiday resort in Greece in order to catch a flight home from Athens.
The Conservatives yesterday highlighted expenses claims by prominent Labour figures to pay for accountants to help them fill in their tax returns.
Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt claimed £420 for the service. Mr Hunt, who rose to fame as a TV historian, declared outside earnings of almost £40,000 last year on top of his MPs’ salary of £66,396. Most of his earnings came from writing articles and books.
Other claimants included the shadow culture minister Helen Goodman who claimed £945 for an accountant and the shadow local government minister Chris Williamson, who claimed £534.
Claiming for accountancy services is allowed under the expenses rules, but is likely to raise eyebrows among members of the public who believe the system remains too generous.
MPs claimed a total of £4.58 million in the latest round of expenses, which cover the two months of August and September last year, during most of which time the Commons was not sitting.
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Mark Simmonds is the Mark Simmonds, UK Minister for Africa, the Overseas Territories, the Caribbean and International Energy. He is the minister directly responsible for the oversee of the Cayman Islands. He visited the Cayman Islands on November 5th 2013.
