GERALD Howarth, MP for Aldershot, Farnborough and Yateley, tried to claim for a subscription for Sky Sports using his MP’s allowance.
When the parliamentary fees office refused his claim, Mr Howarth wrote back to try and argue his case, saying he saw “absolutely no reason” why he should pay the £25 a month to watch sport at his house.
“I submit that as I already pay for that service at my principal home I see absolutely no reason why I should have to pay twice when I snatch a few moments from constituency engagements to watch rugby or other sports not available on terrestrial TV,” he wrote.
The letter came to light on Thursday as the House of Commons published the latest batch of paperwork relating to MP’s expenses.
The latest claims relate to the year 2008-09 and the first quarter of 2009-10.
Speaking to Get Hampshire, Mr Howarth said that he felt the media scrutiny into individual items he had claimed on expenses was unfair, as he had not claimed his full yearly allowance, while many other MPs, who claimed the full amount, escaped media attention.
He added that he felt the claim for Sky Sports had been justified because the MPs' allowance was "for the costs of running a second home."
He said: "I had already paid for my principal home (in London).
"I like to watch a bit of rugby, if possible. People don’t realise that MPs have a lot of community engagements and very little time to yourself."
Garlic cutters
Meanwhile, James Arbuthnot, MP for North East Hampshire, submitted a claim for three garlic cutters that he bought on TV shopping channel QVC, for a total of £43.56, including postage and packing.
But Mr Arbuthnot, who agreed to pay back some of his allowance claims earlier this year after the expenses scandal broke, made a rapid cutback in his claims this year, making no claims at all for the first quarter of the current financial year.
In a statement, Mr Arbuthnot said: “The stories relating to my 2008-09 expenses cover matters which have been public knowledge for nearly six months. I posted copies of the receipts on my website in July of this year and issued a press release at the same time.
“I asked to be first to take part in David Cameron’s internal review of expenses, and have fully participated in Sir Thomas Legg’s review, agreeing to repay in excess of what was recommended. As I said in July when releasing my 2008-09 expenses, ‘The second homes allowance in the form which these receipts reflect is gone, and we, both the public and politicians, are glad to see the back of it.’ ”
For more on this story, see next week’s News & Mail, out on Friday, December 18.