SNP MP Phil Boswell repays £555 after expenses probe

AN SNP MP was ordered to repay £555 of parliamentary expenses after an investigation by a watchdog.

Phil Boswell wrongly claimed for publicity videos that were posted on YouTube, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Association (Ipsa) found.

The probe followed a complaint about the Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill MP by a member of the public.

Mr Boswell has accepted the findings and repaid the cash, Ipsa said.

Ipsa looked at six videos put out by Mr Boswell in a series entitled Keeping You Informed.

He submitted an invoice from a company called Deep Fried Film that included a two-hour photo/video shoot costing £60 and £150 for a day of photo/video post-production along with a £450 bill for three days of video production.

Mr Boswell told MPs that when he realised that two of the videos did not comply with expenses rules he had them removed and replaced with edited versions.

"When informed that the compliance officer believed that all six of the videos were outside the scheme, he expressed surprise," the watchdog's report said.

Ipsa has now ruled that five of the videos breached expenses rules because they did not relate to parliamentary activities.