Four Members of Parliament, including a Tory minister, have found themselves in hot water after it was revealed they claimed driving fines as expenses, a clear violation of the rules. The MPs are now being asked to return the money they wrongly claimed.

Amanda Solloway, a minister in the energy department and former aide to Suella Braverman at the Home Office, is among the MPs who claimed the fines. Solloway, who also serves as a government whip and represents Derby North, reimbursed herself for an £80 penalty notice from Transport for London in July 2020.

Simon Hoare, a Conservative MP for North Dorset and chair of the Northern Ireland affairs committee in the Commons, was found to have claimed £80 fines on four separate occasions in November 2019.

Bim Afolami, a Tory MP representing Hitchin and Harpenden, also claimed two £80 fines in December 2021. Afolami has since stated to the PA news agency that the expense claim was an unintentional error. He assured that the money was returned as soon as he learned of the mistake.

Dave Doogan, an SNP MP for Angus, was reported to have claimed a £160 fine in January 2022. These claims were first brought to light by The Independent after they were spotted in the expenses register.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), the body responsible for approving and paying expenses, has admitted to mistakenly allowing these payments. A representative for IPSA stated, "MPs are not permitted to claim for penalty charges and fines under IPSA rules. Unfortunately, our checks failed to identify these claims in some instances, resulting in some payments being made. We will be contacting the MPs involved and asking for repayments where necessary. We have also revised our process to prevent such claims from being paid in the future and will be reminding MPs of the scheme's rules."

This scandal follows on the heels of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's decision not to initiate a formal investigation into Suella Braverman, who reportedly asked civil servants to arrange a private awareness course after she was caught speeding. Thangam Debbonaire, Labour's shadow Commons leader, criticised the situation: "While Rishi Sunak's MPs are breaking the rules and expecting the taxpayer to foot the bill, ordinary people are struggling to cope with the escalating Tory cost-of-living crisis. Such disregard for the rules by Tory MPs undermines public trust in the system.

Rishi Sunak needs to take action against the rule-breakers in his party and focus on serving the British people."