*Geraldine Scott, Political Reporter, November 22 2022, The Times*
A paedophile former Tory MP was paid more than £14,000 of taxpayers’ money after he had been jailed for groping a 15-year-old boy.
Imran Ahmad Khan, who was the MP for Wakefield until he was convicted and jailed in May this year, used the upmarket removals firm favoured by prime ministers, claiming the costs on expenses which he received after he had been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The Times can reveal that Khan, who was elected as part of Boris Johnson’s red wall landslide in December 2019, was under investigation by police for almost the whole time he was an MP, with the investigation into his crime being launched four days after the election.
Khan was paid £521,753.92 in expenses during his tenure, which included office costs, staff salaries, travel and other expenditure. £201,226.91 of that was paid after he was charged, £15,985.73 after he was convicted, and £14,840.84 after he was jailed.
New expenses data shows he was paid £4,578 in July on “London accommodation removal”, and another entry from June showed that he was paid £4,000 for AGM Bishops Ltd, the owner of Bishop’s Move.
The distinctive yellow Bishops vans are often spotted in Downing Street when prime ministers move in and out. The company, a favourite among the political class, has moved multiple prime ministers including Sir John Major and Theresa May at the high and low points of their political careers. Other high-profile clients include Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Other expense claims paid after Khan was jailed included £1,877.65 to British Gas for his London home.
Khan was also paid £1,885 between April and June to clean his office, including jet washing and a “deep clean”. Some £2,858.52 was spent on repairs and redecoration including a broken gate, paid in June.
He was paid for car mileage while his case was going through the courts, and his staff continued to claim for their rail expenses until July this year.
He was also paid £1,438 for an Apple laptop in April, before paying that amount back in June.
One invoice, seen by The Times from the start of Khan’s time in parliament, showed he received a £10,000 estimate for the work on his constituency office in March 2020. The remodel included quotes for a boardroom table made of parquet flooring and specifically repainting his office in “parliamentary green or Conservative blue”.
He ended up being reimbursed £7,000 for shopfitting work, and spent another £2,690 on “works for [the] constituency office” in February last year.
The invoice said no in-depth work was needed to the outside of the building, but only “what’s necessary to give a decent appearance”, with redecoration throughout. For £2,000, a boardroom table measuring about 16ft by 4ft, a side table, and two desks were listed, “either in reclaimed parquet or strip flooring timber”.
Khan was stripped of the Conservative whip in July last year after the charges emerged but had not been on the parliamentary estate for a number of months by then.
However, he continued claiming £3,813.33 a month in rent until January this year, as well as rail tickets for family or carers. In October last year Khan claimed expenses for £3,218.64 of “legal services” from Tyler Hoffman Solicitors in Wakefield, whose managing partner is Akef Akbar who would go on to stand as an independent to replace Khan. The firm said this was not in relation to Khan’s trial.
He also claimed £1,330 for removals services, and £1,000 a month for external media and consultancy services up to November last year.
MPs who leave parliament are entitled under expenses rules to claim for “winding up” costs for up to two months after they leave. This includes paying staff, rent, office costs and removals.
Anneliese Dodds, Labour’s party chairwoman, said: “The public will be rightly shocked that someone convicted of such a reprehensible crime could seemingly cash in on his expenses. He should pay back this money immediately.
“This speaks to the moral vacuum at the heart of the Conservative Party. The party was warned about Imran Ahmad Khan’s behaviour and character, and they parachuted him into Wakefield anyway. They must take some responsibility for this sorry mess.”
Khan denied any wrongdoing and is appealing both his conviction and sentence.
What the living hell! He claimed £200,000 *after his arrest*??
In fairness, if the Tory’s cut off MPs for inconvenient things like being found guilty of crimes, there’d be far less Tory MPs.
Probably hush money because he has dirt on someone else in the party.
The quality of MPs elected in the “Boris Johnson Red Wall Wave” is honestly so shocking. Many high quality MPs were booted out and replaced with these knuckle draggers, and still local people insist they can never vote Labour again because their faith in politics has been so badly shaken. You’d think that anger would be directed at the party that knowingly lied to them, misled them, and foisted these charlatan representatives on them instead of those who often broke party whips and their own concerns to support the Brexit demands of their constituency but here we are…
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*Geraldine Scott, Political Reporter, November 22 2022, The Times*
A paedophile former Tory MP was paid more than £14,000 of taxpayers’ money after he had been jailed for groping a 15-year-old boy.
Imran Ahmad Khan, who was the MP for Wakefield until he was convicted and jailed in May this year, used the upmarket removals firm favoured by prime ministers, claiming the costs on expenses which he received after he had been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The Times can reveal that Khan, who was elected as part of Boris Johnson’s red wall landslide in December 2019, was under investigation by police for almost the whole time he was an MP, with the investigation into his crime being launched four days after the election.
Khan was paid £521,753.92 in expenses during his tenure, which included office costs, staff salaries, travel and other expenditure. £201,226.91 of that was paid after he was charged, £15,985.73 after he was convicted, and £14,840.84 after he was jailed.
New expenses data shows he was paid £4,578 in July on “London accommodation removal”, and another entry from June showed that he was paid £4,000 for AGM Bishops Ltd, the owner of Bishop’s Move.
The distinctive yellow Bishops vans are often spotted in Downing Street when prime ministers move in and out. The company, a favourite among the political class, has moved multiple prime ministers including Sir John Major and Theresa May at the high and low points of their political careers. Other high-profile clients include Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Other expense claims paid after Khan was jailed included £1,877.65 to British Gas for his London home.
Khan was also paid £1,885 between April and June to clean his office, including jet washing and a “deep clean”. Some £2,858.52 was spent on repairs and redecoration including a broken gate, paid in June.
He was paid for car mileage while his case was going through the courts, and his staff continued to claim for their rail expenses until July this year.
He was also paid £1,438 for an Apple laptop in April, before paying that amount back in June.
One invoice, seen by The Times from the start of Khan’s time in parliament, showed he received a £10,000 estimate for the work on his constituency office in March 2020. The remodel included quotes for a boardroom table made of parquet flooring and specifically repainting his office in “parliamentary green or Conservative blue”.
He ended up being reimbursed £7,000 for shopfitting work, and spent another £2,690 on “works for [the] constituency office” in February last year.
The invoice said no in-depth work was needed to the outside of the building, but only “what’s necessary to give a decent appearance”, with redecoration throughout. For £2,000, a boardroom table measuring about 16ft by 4ft, a side table, and two desks were listed, “either in reclaimed parquet or strip flooring timber”.
Khan was stripped of the Conservative whip in July last year after the charges emerged but had not been on the parliamentary estate for a number of months by then.
However, he continued claiming £3,813.33 a month in rent until January this year, as well as rail tickets for family or carers. In October last year Khan claimed expenses for £3,218.64 of “legal services” from Tyler Hoffman Solicitors in Wakefield, whose managing partner is Akef Akbar who would go on to stand as an independent to replace Khan. The firm said this was not in relation to Khan’s trial.
He also claimed £1,330 for removals services, and £1,000 a month for external media and consultancy services up to November last year.
MPs who leave parliament are entitled under expenses rules to claim for “winding up” costs for up to two months after they leave. This includes paying staff, rent, office costs and removals.
Anneliese Dodds, Labour’s party chairwoman, said: “The public will be rightly shocked that someone convicted of such a reprehensible crime could seemingly cash in on his expenses. He should pay back this money immediately.
“This speaks to the moral vacuum at the heart of the Conservative Party. The party was warned about Imran Ahmad Khan’s behaviour and character, and they parachuted him into Wakefield anyway. They must take some responsibility for this sorry mess.”
Khan denied any wrongdoing and is appealing both his conviction and sentence.
What the living hell! He claimed £200,000 *after his arrest*??
In fairness, if the Tory’s cut off MPs for inconvenient things like being found guilty of crimes, there’d be far less Tory MPs.
Probably hush money because he has dirt on someone else in the party.
The quality of MPs elected in the “Boris Johnson Red Wall Wave” is honestly so shocking. Many high quality MPs were booted out and replaced with these knuckle draggers, and still local people insist they can never vote Labour again because their faith in politics has been so badly shaken. You’d think that anger would be directed at the party that knowingly lied to them, misled them, and foisted these charlatan representatives on them instead of those who often broke party whips and their own concerns to support the Brexit demands of their constituency but here we are…