Ed Miliband says Denis MacShane has let down Labour party

Former Labour minister Denis MacShane was “right” to step down from parliament after being condemned for abusing expenses rules, the party’s leader Ed Miliband said yesterday.

The Rotherham MP said on Friday he will resign from parliament after the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee recommended a year’s suspension for claiming thousands of pounds using fake receipts.

The Metropolitan Police, which dropped an investigation into the MP earlier this year, has said it is now “assessing the content” of the committee’s report.

But commons authorities ­insist that potentially incriminating letters to the Standards Commissioner from Mr MacShane cannot be used against him in court as they are protected by parliamentary privilige

Asked whether Mr MacShane had let down Labour, Mr Miliband said: “Yes. I think he did the wrong thing, and I think it was really disturbing to see the ­evidence of what’s happened.