MP to quit over expenses 'stress'

Mr Cohen has been an MP for 26 years

Labour MP Harry Cohen has said he is to step down at the general election due to the "intolerable stress" expenses allegations have had on his family.

Mr Cohen represents an east London seat but reportedly claimed £104,701 in six years for his "second home".

A complaint was made to the standards commissioner that his designated "main home" was 70 miles away in Essex.

Mr Cohen said he believed he would be exonerated but his wife's health had suffered due to "constant attacks".

An MP for 26 years, he told activists it had been an "honour" to represent Leyton and Wanstead.

'Repeatedly vilified'

But he said the expenses row had been a major influence on his decision.

"These constant attacks have put me under intolerable stress and have also been detrimental to Ellen's heart condition," he said.

"The incessant intrusion into our family life has brought me to the recognition of strong personal reasons to stand down."

"Given our ages, the transition is best achieved now rather than five years down the line. It is time to plan our future life together without the stresses and long separations required by Parliament."

Mr Cohen will turn 60 this year and his wife 70.

He said he had been "repeatedly vilified in the media with false allegations" and was waiting for his name to be cleared "both by the Press Complaints Commission and the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards".

"I believe that I will be totally exonerated," he added.

More than 20 MPs have said they will stand down at the next election since the expenses scandal broke.

Much of the furore has been about the use of the additional costs allowance (ACA), which covers the cost of MPs staying away from their designated main home on Parliamentary business.

Mr Cohen's claims under the ACA were among the highest of all MPs representing seats in outer London.

A report in the Daily Telegraph said he claimed thousands of pounds for redecorating his second home before selling it and then claimed £12,000 in stamp duty and fees on his new property.

New rules have banned MPs who represent constituencies within 20 miles of Westminster from being able to claim for a second home.