The Conservative MP in charge of the committee responsible for policing MPs' expenses has stood down pending an inquiry into his second home allowance claims.
David Curry resigned as chairman of the Commons standards and privileges committee after the Daily Telegraph reported that he had claimed almost £30,000 for a house that he rarely stayed in.
According to the paper, Mr Curry's wife, Anne, demanded that he he did not use the cottage in Yorkshire as a condition of their reconciliation after she discovered he was having an affair.
Curry, the MP for Skipton and Ripon has referred himself to the to John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and the inquiry is expected to take several months.
Curry said: "I used the cottage to carry out my duties as a constituency MP and am content with my arrangements.
"However, given the particular responsibilities of the chairman of the Committee of Standards and Privileges, I shall refer my case to the Commissioner on Parliamentary Standards John Lyon and will stand down from the chairmanship during the course of his inquiries."
He designated the cottage as his second home in 2005 after moving back into his family home in Saffron Walden, Essex. He has reportedly since stayed at the cottage on only a "handful" of occasions, often staying at the £40-a-night Travelodge hotel in Skipton instead.
Curry has already announced that he will be stepping down at the next election after 23 years as an MP.
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