David Laws guilty of a series of expenses rule breaches

Former Cabinet minister David Laws has been found guilty of a series of breaches of parliamentary expenses rules.

The Liberal Democrat MP was chief secretary to the Treasury for just days last May. He resigned when it was revealed he had paid £40,000 in expenses to his boyfriend who was also his landlord.

According to the Evening Standard, Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon found him in breach of six areas of Commons rules.

The Commons’ Standards and Privileges Committee will now look at the investigation and report back later this week.

When the story broke last year, Mr Laws said he had failed to declare the relationship because he wanted to keep his sexuality secret.

He said: “My motivation throughout has not been to maximise profit but to simply protect our privacy and my wish not to reveal my sexuality.”

Prime minister David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg were understood to be keen to see him return to the Cabinet but this will depend on the wording in the report.

Mr Laws will not face criminal charges over his claims.