Salmond queried over legal fees

Parliament's standards commissioner has asked Alex Salmond to explain why he claimed £790 towards the legal costs of trying to impeach then PM Tony Blair.

In 2004 Scottish and Welsh nationalist MPs tried to impeach Mr Blair accusing him of misleading Parliament over Iraq.

Labour MSP Lord Foulkes complained to John Lyon that public money should not be used for "party political" purposes.

But a spokesman for the SNP leader said the claim was "entirely legitimate" and the complaint a "stunt".

In its revelations about MPs' expenses last month, the Daily Telegraph reported that legal bills totalling £14,100 for the unsuccessful impeachment bid were claimed on expenses.

Comments invited

The campaign was supported by author Frederick Forsyth and the actor Corin Redgrave but came to nothing.

Mr Salmond's share of the bill amounted to £790.

Lord Foulkes complained to Parliament's standards commissioner John Lyon, who is already looking into a number of MPs' claims following complaints.

"I think it's quite wrong for public money to be used for a party political campaign"

Plaid MPs defend legal bill claim

Mr Lyon wrote back to say he had accepted the complaint and had written to Mr Salmond "inviting his comments".

"Once I receive his response, I shall consider how best to proceed," he said.

Lord Foulkes said he was pleased with the response, adding: "The issue is not about whether the Iraq war was right or wrong.

"It is about whether legal advice about it should be paid for by the taxpayer out of Mr Salmond's office costs allowance.

"I think it's quite wrong for public money to be used for a party political campaign."

'Laughable' complaint

But a spokesman for Mr Salmond - Scotland's first minister - said he and other MPs involved had been "extremely proud of the action they took" and said the "vast majority" of people believed the war to be "illegal and immoral".

"The expenses incurred in supporting the impeachment process were entirely legitimate, and Lord Foulkes's complaint is laughable," he said.

"We are sure that he will be the first to apologise when the complaint is found to be without foundation."

They accused the peer - who is also an MSP - of costing Scottish taxpayers £120,000 in two years with "countless frivolous parliamentary questions at Holyrood".

Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price has previously defended charging for his share of expenses saying it was a "big and extremely publicly important matter".

The impeachment procedure had not been used for more than 150 years and they needed specialist advice, he said.

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