Khalid Mahmood used public money to settle a legal dispute with his Parliamentary assistant Elaina Cohen, his former girlfriend, who had accused him of religious discrimination.
The court case was settled out of court on the day it was due to take place.
It has emerged that Mr Mahmood’s costs were covered by insurance which is made available to all MPs and funded by the Parliamentary expenses system – in other words, by taxpayers.
Cohen is Mahmood’s former girlfriend and the MP was criticised after it was revealed the pair spent nine nights at The Bentley hotel in Kensington, London, at taxpayers’ expense in 2004.
The bills were approved by the Commons authorities – on the grounds that it would have cost the same whether she was there or not – but Mr Mahmood repaid the £175-a-night cost, saying he understood why some constituents were unhappy.
They are no longer a couple but continue to work together. To colleagues who know them, it is no secret that they have a dysfunctional relationship and frequently argue.
Ms Cohen is said to have accused Mr Mahmood of attempting to freeze her out, and of employing other staff to do her job. Speculation is rife that the problems stem from the fact that Cohen is Jewish, and linked the situation to Labour’s on-going problems with anti-Semitism.
Cohen was warning privately that Labour has a problem with anti-Semitism long before recent media coverage highlighted the issue.
Lead Correspondent | David Clews is the Lead Correspondent for UNN, with over 20 years of political/campaigning experience and a wealth of social media and communication skills David gets to the heart of what is really important to the real people of the UK.
Keep up to date with all of David & UN’s work by linking up with us on our Social Media Channels by Clicking Here Now: https://unitynewsnetwork.co.uk/our-social-media-links/
