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MP Chris Kelly under fire after claiming £10 for Remembrance trip

An MP has been branded ‘disgusting’ for claiming £10.80 through his expenses to pay for travel to honour fallen soldiers at a Remembrance Sunday event in the Black Country.

Chris Kelly, Conservative MP for Dudley South, said the claim was made ‘in error’ and the money had been paid back.

But it was labelled ‘disgusting’ and a ‘disgrace’ by Royal British Legion members after official records showed Mr Kelly received £10.80 on expenses to travel 24 miles to the Remembrance Sunday commemoration in Kingswinford last year.

The claim, which was published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, was made for the event which took place on November 9 last year.

The authority says the claim, which was paid out to Mr Kelly, was made for ‘Remembrance Sunday mileage’ in his own vehicle classed as ‘within constituency travel’.

Mr Kelly said: “It was a claim in error and it has been paid back already.”

However, Gornal RBL member and Labour councillor Ken Finch said: “I don’t think that you can sink much lower than if you are going to do that.

“It is nothing short of disgusting. Even if it was a pound it shouldn’t happen.

“This is part of the civic duties that if you are in a public role it is your job to show some respect to remember people who fought in the first and second world wars and other conflicts.

“It is respect for the people who never came back.”

Stan Hough, treasurer with Lower Gornal Royal British Legion branch, added: “It is totally unacceptable. It is a disgrace.

“Thousands of people travel a long way to Remembrance Day parades and they don’t claim anything purely and simply because they are proud to do it for their ancestors.

“It is part of our duties towards our own country.”

Despite the claim for such a small sum the Kelly family, led by Mr Kelly’s father Chris, has donated £75,000 to the Wolverhampton Youth Zone project while the Keltruck dealership Mr Kelly senior owns donated £50,000.

The revelation comes as Mr Kelly is preparing to step down at the General Election in May with Mike Wood, who is a councillor in Stourbridge, standing as the Tory candidate in the constituency.

Kingswinford Royal British Legion declined to comment.

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015 ... ance-trip/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Them Tories sure like kicking people when they're down don't they??