Malik faces fresh expenses probe

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Communities Minister Shahid Malik is to face a fresh investigation into his use of parliamentary allowances.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is to investigate a complaint over the MP's accommodation and office costs in his Dewsbury constituency.

Mr Malik only returned to government last week after a No 10 adviser cleared him of breaching the ministerial code over a rental agreement.

The latest probe follows allegations about the MP in the Daily Telegraph.

Mr Malik denies reports that he claimed public money towards the running of two offices at the same time.

Commissioner John Lyon said he would investigate the complaint made by the Sunlight Centre for Open Politics transparency campaign.

'Public concern'

The Telegraph alleged Mr Malik claimed the maximum second home allowance on his London property while he funded his office on the ground floor of his constituency home in Dewsbury through a separate system of parliamentary office expenses.

Mr Malik described the story as "complete fabrication", saying he had never claimed public money for any accommodation apart from that for his second home - allowed under the expenses rules.

But The Sunlight Centre, which describes itself as a "non-partisan, not-for-profit company", said there was "intense public concern about this issue".

In his earlier judgement, Gordon Brown's adviser on the ministerial code - Sir Philip Mawer - said there was not enough evidence to back up the Telegraph's claim that Mr Malik had benefited from a preferential rent on his constituency home.

He found that the rent he was paying was a reasonable market rate - but criticised the MP for failing to provide receipts or a tenancy agreement to back up his claims.