Family affair: Kirkbride in battle over sibling staff

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The Standard revealed today that Karen Leadley, who lives in Wimborne, Dorset, is paid out of Ms Kirkbride's taxpayer-funded expenses as a part-time executive secretary.

Wimborne is 140 miles from Bromsgove, Ms Kirkbride's constituency, and 107 miles to the House of Commons.

The MP defended the arrangements with her sister, saying: "She lives in Wimborne where she has a computer networked to my constituency and London office. She carries out tasks on a regular basis but her principal job is to do constituency correspondence during the parliamentary recess and many people have written to say how helpful she has been."

But the controversy comes after her husband Andrew MacKay was forced to announce he is standing down at the next election as Tory MP for Bracknell after claiming tens of thousands of pounds in housing allowance despite not having a proper second home.

Ms Kirkbride's brother Ian has also reportedly been allowed to stay rent-free at her taxpayer-funded second home in Worcestershire, a claim she has dismissed as a distortion.

He is also said to have bought £1,000 worth of computer equipment delivered to this address. Ms Kirkbride has insisted it is for her use as an MP not for him to work as an IT consultant.

Her husband Andrew MacKay has announced he will stand down as MP for Bracknell at the next general election after claiming tens of thousands of pounds in housing allowance despite not having a proper second home.

Tory leader David Cameron has said that Ms Kirkbride has "questions to answer" but has stopped short of making her step down, insisting that her case was "quite different" from her husband's.

Ms Kirkbride claimed £147,165 in Commons allowances in 2007/08 to cover costs including for a second home, staff and her offices.

According to Conservatives' Right To Know documents detailing MPs expenses, Ms Leadley's job was described last year as "an executive secretary, not based at House of Commons".
But Ms Kirkbride's Bromsgrove office today said that Ms Leadley "does not work in the constituency".

Her brother, Ian Kirkbride, is also said to have bought computer equipment worth £1,000 using taxpayers' money.

She denied these purchases were for his use for work as an IT consultant, stressing: "I record my work as an MP in pictures. I often ask my brother to source IT equipment for me."