Maria Miller quits as Culture Secretary after outrage over expenses row

Maria Miller

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Maria MillerU.K. Culture Secretary Maria Miller has quit her post on Wednesday after suffering a week of criticism following her over-claimed expenses scandal.

Mrs Miller was accused of over-claiming the mortgage expenses on her second home where she used to live with her parents between 2005 and 2009. However, she was cleared of the charge after an investigation into matter for deliberately filling the expenses and was asked to repay £5,800 of the expenses by the Commons Committee of Standards and also recommended her to apologise from MPs for breaching the ministerial code of conduct due to her lack of co-operation with an independent inquiry.

Mrs Miller did follow the panel advice and made a brief apology to Parliament last week after taking full responsibility of her mistakes. Her actions had also won her the backing of Prime Minister David Cameron, who had repeatedly told that she had done “the right thing”. However, Mrs Miller and PM had to suffer mounted criticism from her own party ministers, who have asked the culture secretary to step down from her role after the expenses row.

Concerns were also raised among the MPs regarding the credibility of Standards Committee when it had overruled the independent Commissioner Kathryn Hudson’s decision after the probe that Mrs Miller should pay back £45,000 in expenses and established that she would only pay back £5,800 in over-claimed mortgage interest that she deliberately claimed.

Mrs Miller has offered her resignation in a letter to Mr Cameron on Wednesday, taking “full responsibility” for her decision to stand down as culture secretary, saying she feared she had become a “distraction” for voters who are set to go to the polls in European elections next month.

After Mrs Miller’s resignation, the Prime minister has defended the reputation of Parliament, saying it is full of “good and honest” MPs.

Mr Cameron has accepted the resignation while saying he was “sad that you are leaving the government in these circumstances” and also hope that Mrs Miller would be able to return to cabinet “in due course”.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Sajid Javid has been named to replace Mrs Miller, while Nicky Morgan will be promoted within the Treasury at the post of Minister for Women and Equalities.

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