Rotherham MP expenses scandal

The former Labour minister Denis MacShane has apologised for letting down the people of his Rotherham constituency after making false expenses claims. Mr MacShane, who resigned a week ago, said sorry in an open letter published in a newspaper

Police have met prosecutors to consider reopening the criminal investigation into Denis MacShane's expenses. A joint panel has been reconvened to look at whether a damning Commons report into the former minister contains usable new evidence.

Scotland Yard dropped the case against Mr MacShane in July after receiving advice from the CPS on an initial evidence file. But last week's report by the Standards and Privileges Committee, which concluded MacShane deliberately filed 19 misleading receipts - has sparked calls for a renewed probe.

Mr MacShane, who quit his Rotherham seat rather than face a 12-month suspension from the House, wrote a series of frank letters to the standards commissioner detailing his actions.

But the Commons authorities insist they are protected by parliamentary privilege and would not be admissible in court.

A by-election to replaced disgraced MP Denis MacShane will be held on November 29. Labour formally started the process by moving the writ in the Commons to trigger the contest in the former Europe minister's Rotherham seat.

Former minister Mr MacShane, who resigned after a damning report into his use of parliamentary expenses to fund European trips and computers was published last week, had a 10,642-vote majority.

The Standards and Privileges Committee, which recommended that Mr MacShane should be suspended for 12 months, said it was impossible to say how much Mr MacShane claimed "outside the rules", but it "may have been in the order of £7,500.

Disgraced former Rotherham MP Denis MacShane was criticised in the House of Commons for his "reprehensible" behaviour in submitting fake receipts to fiddle his expenses.

Less than a week go Mr MacShane was speaking in the Chamber.

Today, MPs formally endorsed a report by a Commons committee condemning him for false expense claims amounting to thousands of pounds. The police are considering the report.

Wentworth and Dearne MP John Healey will help residents in Rotherham after Denis MacShane stepped down.

Mr MacShane resigned last week after a report found he had fiddled his expenses.

A by-election will take place to elect a new representative for the town.

John Healey is going to take over any casework and will provide advice surgeries, including one on 10 November at 9.30am at Rotherham town hall.

Labour Leader Ed Miliband has said Denis MacShane was right to step down after wrongly claiming thousands of pounds in Parliamentary expenses.

The Rotherham MP anounced he was resigning from Parliament on Friday after an official report by a Commons Committee found he had claimed the cash by submitting fake receipts.

He has since paid back the money. The Metropolitan Police, which dropped an investigation into the MP earlier this year, says it is considering the report.

The Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says the former MP's case should be re-examined by police following 'very severe condemnation' by Parliament's sleaze watchdog.

The comments came after the Commons authorities insisted that damning letters from Mr MacShane to the standards commissioner could not be used against him in court.

Former Labour MP for Rotherham Dennis MacShane resigned on Friday after he was found to have falsified invoices to claim thousands of pounds in taxpayer-funded expenses.

Letters written by former Rotherham MP Denis MacShane in which he allegedly admits fiddling his expenses cannot be used to prosecute him.

They're protected by parliamentary privilege, so were withheld from police when they launched a probe in to the MP two years ago. Prosecutors are still not legally able to use them.

Dennis MacShane resigned as an MP on Friday after it was found he submitted nineteen false invoices over a four year period.