02 November 2001
McLeish came under fire from opposition parties who alleged he had submitted fraudulent expenses while the Westminster MP for Central Fife. Fife Constabulary have confirmed they are investigating the affair after receiving an official complaint.
The first minister appeared to have weathered the initial storm when he agreed to pay a £9,000 settlement to the Commons Fees Office on October 23. 'As far as I am concerned the matter is now closed,' he said. 'I leave it with the Fife constabulary.'
But what is being called the 'Officegate' controversy deepened when it was alleged that House of Commons Standards and Privileges Commission rules had been breached because the building's address appeared on Labour Party literature during local elections in 1994 and 1995 and Scottish Parliamentary elections in 1999.
MPs receive an office cost allowance on the proviso that the premises are not used for party political activities such as campaigning or fund raising.
Officials of the Central Fife Constituency Party and John McFarlane, McLeish's agent in the 1999 elections, were quick to take responsibility and attest that the then-MP had not given his permission for the use of the office address on leaflets and posters.
McLeish was adamant he had not been consulted: 'I have always insisted that the office should not be used for party political purposes. At no time have I sanctioned the use of my constituency office for party political election activities.'
PFnov2001
