Same criticism applies to other MPs who did this too, including most notoriously Malcolm Rifkind, who was a London MP but claimed travel to and from his home in Scotland.

For both of them it may have been within the rules but they should have known better and taken better care of public funds. In Sarah Teather’s case the point is that allegations were made that weren’t true; in both Butler and Rifkind’s cases the travel claims aren’t disputed.