Former Essex Tory peer jailed during expenses scandal dies

A life peer who was jailed for expenses fraud during the expenses scandal has died.

Lord Hanningfield - Paul White - died at the age of 84 on Sunday, with his family saying he was "passionate about helping others" and "championed Essex".

The former Tory member was leader of Essex County Council between 2000 and 2010, having first been elected to the council in 1970.

He was ennobled to the House of Lords in 1998 for services to local government, choosing to be known as Lord Hanningfield after his home of West Hanningfield in Essex.

During the expenses scandal, in 2011 he was convicted of expenses fraud after he falsely claimed nearly £14,000 for overnight stays in London when he was not in the capital.

He was jailed for nine months and served a quarter of the sentence in prison.

He was later accused of wrongly claiming around £3,300 in expenses in 2013, but was cleared after Parliament intervened.

He later told a newspaper: “People are making a mountain out of a molehill. I may have made a mistake in the past but I am still being penalised for it.”

In a statement announcing his death, Lord Hanningfield's family said: "He was passionate about helping others and utterly committed to the people and communities of Essex.

"He championed Essex both locally and nationally, including during his time in the House of Lords.

"He will be sadly missed by all those that knew him."

Lord Hanningfield was influential in the creation of the Local Government Association, serving as deputy chair between 1997 and 2001.

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