Nephew 'shocked' at peer's expenses

A relative of a former Tory peer accused of making false expenses claims said yesterday that he was "shocked" and "quite angry" when told the politician had used his address as his main residence on claim forms.

Robert Taylor, half nephew of Lord Taylor of Warwick, told a jury at Southwark Crown Court: "I was shocked, I was quite angry, actually, because I had always wondered why he had been quite so friendly, because we didn't have a lot in common."

The court heard that the peer submitted forms saying his main home was in Oxford, where his half nephew lived, when he actually lived in Ealing, west London. He claimed for travelling and night subsistence in London.

Lord Taylor, 58, denies six counts of false accounting. The trial continues.