'Simon Hoare has got to go' says Kate Hoey after revelation that Tory chairman of Northern Ireland Affairs Committee claimed motoring penalties on expenses

That is the belief of Baroness Hoey, a previous holder of the post, in the wake of revelations in The Independent newspaper at the weekend.

It turns out Mr Hoare, a Tory MP for Dorset who has chaired the committee since mid-2019, had billed the taxpayer for four seperate sums of £80 during November of that year.

Although The Independent's report does not say so, the penalties relate to the congestion charge.

Since 2003, London has operated a zone in the city centre which drivers must pay to enter.

It covers Westminster and the capital's main financial district, and is designed to push commuters to use public transport instead of private cars.

Presently it costs £15 per day to drive in the congestion zone, with fines levied if this daily charge is not paid.

It is understood that MPs who commute into the city can claim this daily congestion charge on their expenses.

However, what seems to have happened in Mr Hoare's case is that these daily charges were not paid, so he was hit with penalty notices – four times – and it is those fines which he tried to claim back.

Mr Hoare was reportedly just one of four MPs who wrongly claimed motoring fines on expenses.

Though IPSA – the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority – is not meant to cover fines incurred by MPs, it did accidentally reimburse MPs for some, and has since demanded the money back.

Baroness Hoey, a former Labour MP for Vauxhall in London, who is now an independent member of the Lords, had served as an interim chairwoman of the NI Affairs Committee during 2019.

She told the News Letter: "As chair of a very important select committee, where confidence in integrity is crucial, his position is now untenable.

"He should resign. It is pretty awful.

"You will get people I am sure saying 'oh look come on it's only £320'. But it's the principle of it.

"It's particularly important for someone who has constantly criticised politicians in Northern Ireland for their supposed transgressions."

Paul Frew, DUP MLA for North Antrim, said: "Not only are we paying for their incompetence and their disastrous policies, we are now paying for their wrongdoing. Shameless!"

The News Letter sought to contact Mr Hoare, but at time of writing there was no reply.

More from the News Letter:

• Racism complaint – As a black woman and her daughter call for a classic work of literature containing 'the n word' to be axed from the NI curriculum, opponents of the idea set out their stall here

• Massive pageant parade to mark William of Orange's arrival in Ireland 'will be biggest for years' says organiser: here's a breakdown of the what, when and who