Johnny Mercer pays back £2,000 of taxpayers cash he spent on political leaflets

20 January 2024 , 17:53

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Mr Mercer spent £2,000 on the flyer, which the watchdog has since decided was political in nature (Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/REX/Shutterstock)

Minister Johnny Mercer has agreed to pay back almost £2,000 of taxpayers’ money he spent on Tory campaign leaflets.

The flyers, distributed in Mr Mercer’s Plymouth constituency boast that he is "representing you in No10", saying he's the "first MP from Plymouth to be in the Cabinet for decades”. And he tells voters his role as minister is a "chance to beat our drum, make sure we're heard and deliver strong results for you."

MPs are banned from claiming expenses for campaign leaflets - and are only allowed to charge taxpayers for non-political informational publications. Following a complaint from a member of the public, IPSA accepted the expenses claim from Mercer shouldn't have been paid, as the leaflets did not count as "single issue" non-political communications.

The leaflet, which IPSA now agrees was political in nature and should not have been approved

But as Mr Mercer repaid the money, no further investigation was deemed necessary.

A spokesperson for IPSA said: “The Compliance Officer did not consider the issue to constitute a breach of the Scheme and did not initiate a formal investigation. However the Compliance Officer advised the MP to repay the costs, which has now happened.”

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Mr Mercer was approached for comment.

It comes after the expenses watchdog stepped in to tell Mr Mercer to stop charging taxpayers for vanity photos of himself - including one he used on the flyer concerned. The Veterans minister has claimed hundreds of pounds on expenses for 20 snaps of himself taken by photo agencies, which he’s used on his website and on campaign leaflets.

They include pictures of him striding out of Number 10, shaking hands with poppy sellers and walking up and down Whitehall and Downing Street carrying his red ministerial folder. But IPSA stepped in - saying Mr Mercer’s use of the images in campaign materials is “at odds with the fundamental principles” of the expenses rules.

MPs are allowed to claim for photography costs, but only for parliamentary purposes - and aren’t allowed to use the pictures for party political leaflets. But Mr Mercer says he buys the photo licences to use on non-political social media posts - only using them in campaign material afterward. In response to an earlier complaint from a member of the public, IPSA said the rules weren’t clear on whether this is allowed.

Mikey Smith