MPs expenses: Liam Fox submits claim for 3p to cover a 100-metre car trip

Liam Fox was last year ordered to repay £3,000 of expenses (Getty Images)

Former defence secretary Liam Fox successfully claimed 3p of taxpayers’ cash for a car journey of fewer than 100 metres, expenses documents show.

The Conservative MP made the claim after travelling 0.06 miles, or around 96.5 metres, within his North Somerset constituency from a concrete firm to a constituency surgery in Yatton in October 2012.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) notes the claim was paid last December. Mr Fox also had another 15 claims of under £1 for car travel approved in 2012-13. These included 24p for a 0.54-mile journey from a constituency surgery to a school in Clevedon and 44p for a 0.98-mile journey from a “meet your MP” event at Winford Manor to Winford School.

MPs can claim 45p per mile.

Ipsa paperwork shows Mr Fox claimed £3,866.31 in travel expenses in 2012-13, including rail fares.

Mr Fox, who worked as a GP before becoming an MP, told the Sunday People: “I don’t do my expenses. My office does them. But they are all done according to the rules for travel distances.”

The Tory was last year ordered to repay £3,000 of expenses for allowing his friend Adam Werritty to live rent-free at his taxpayer-funded second home for a year.

Mr Fox, who resigned in October 2011 over his relationship with Mr Werritty, was also criticised for allowing their Atlantic Bridge think tank to be run from his parliamentary offices.