Malik Minister faces new probe over £1,015 council tax claim

The communities minister, who is already facing an investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards into his Commons expenses, is said to have put in claims for the levy totalling £2,999 between 2005 and 2007.

The Telegraph alleged that the Dewsbury MP regularly did not submit bills for this and that he overclaimed by at least £1,015 as the council tax on his property in Southwark, south London, should have been £1,984 for a band C property.

If true, the revelation would be a particular blow to Mr Malik as his department is responsible for the council tax.

His specific responsibilities include Olympics legacy, the Thames Gateway, cohesion, race, migration and tackling violent extremism.

Mr Malik stressed that if he had mistakenly underpaid council tax, he would repay it.

His lawyer said that he had asked for the council tax demands for the relevant period so he could check the figures.

"He confirms that he made claims monthly, or every other month, which should have been reconciled with the demand at the end of the year," his legal adviser added.

"If there has been any overpayment, it is entirely inadvertent and the result of a failure properly to reconcile the claim with the annual figure.

"If any public money has been overpaid, that amount will be repaid immediately."

Mr Malik reportedly claimed a single occupancy 25 per cent discount in his council tax for 2007/08, though it was not clear whether he had done this for earlier years.

If he had, his overclaim may have been £1,510, according to The Telegraph.

Mr Malik, who stood down as justice minister last month but was brought back as communities minister earlier this month, has been cleared of breaching the ministerial code after an inquiry found he had not benefited from below-market rate rent for his constituency home and office.

But he now is also being investigated by the Commons sleazebuster after a complaint was made about his arrangements for having an office in his constituency home, as well as already having another office in Dewsbury.

Mr Malik is understood to have already repaid some taxpayer's money including £730 for a massage chair and has offered to pay £1,050 to charity in the wake of his controversial claim reportedly for a home cinema system.

Meanwhile, Rosie Winterton, a middle-ranking minister in the Department for Communities and Local Government, allegedly also overclaimed for council tax by more than £1,000 on her Southwark second home, according to The Telegraph.

She denied this, saying: "I believe the claim is correct but I shall be talking to the fees office about it.

"I will also be requesting information from the relevant council."