UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Earl of Shrewsbury faces scrutiny over incorrect travel claims, including first-class tickets for non-parliamentary work, and offers reimbursement to taxpayers.
As reported by The Guardian, a Conservative hereditary peer, once sanctioned for breaching House of Lords rules, is now under scrutiny after admitting he wrongly claimed travel expenses last year.
How did the Earl of Shrewsbury respond to claims of misusing travel expenses?
Following scrutiny, the Earl of Shrewsbury stated he would repay taxpayers for the travel costs he admitted claiming, including part of a premium rail fare used for a company meeting.
Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, the peer, remarked “government pays” for his journey – a comment he later described as a joke to colleagues. He rejoined the House of Lords at age 72 and quickly submitted claims, even after facing one of the most extended bans in peerage history.
The Earl admitted to the Lords’ finance unit that he had wrongly billed for four car journeys and used taxpayer-funded rail travel for business-related purposes.
He said,
“Whether I was right or wrong, I have asked the finance department to take the amounts which they might believe to be due from both matters from my attendance allowance for April 2025.”
Mr Shrewsbury maintained his conduct was sincere, noting he broke his journey at Stafford where his wife brought him forgotten belongings. He clarified that his wife drove to Stafford to hand him his wallet and papers. He then continued to Liverpool, using a return rail ticket he purchased personally.
He argued that his wife’s car journey was an “exceptional circumstance” under the Lords’ expenses rules.
The Earl stated,
“Fellow directors are fully aware of the fact that I am able to claim train travel costs from my designated station(s) to London in the course of my parliamentary duties, hence my comment that the government pay. They also know that I pay for my own travel by train when on the very odd occasion I travel to meetings in Liverpool from Stafford. My comment was made in jest.”
The peer confirmed using 14-day first-class rover tickets for his trips to the House of Lords, as they are more affordable than standard tickets. He added that he only used the ticket for parliamentary matters, citing his age and disabilities as reasons for needing first-class travel.
How did the Earl of Shrewsbury use Parliamentary travel funds for private business?
Documents obtained under freedom of information law raise concerns over the Earl of Shrewsbury’s use of the House of Lords expenses scheme, which is designed for parliamentary use.
Under the House of Lords expenses scheme, he claimed a 14-day rover ticket for first-class travel on UK trains, asserting it would be used strictly for parliamentary purposes.
He used the rail ticket to travel part of the way to a board meeting with Cheshire Land, a property company where he has been serving as a non-executive director for three years.
A fellow director emailed the peer the day before the board meeting in Liverpool, asking if he intended to attend because of the heavy snowfall.
The peer replied to the email,
“I am all set. Travelling up from London. Government pays! … the snow doesn’t daunt me – hundreds of years of inbreeding makes me of sterner stuff.”
After a freedom of information request, Shrewsbury’s House of Lords records show he claimed mileage for car journeys between his home in Derbyshire and Stafford station on three days surrounding the board meeting.