HARRY Cohen MP has been ordered to return £60,000 he wrongly claimed in expenses.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards says the House of Commons should withhold a £65,000 payment he is due to receive when he steps down as MP for Leyton and Wanstead MP at the next election.

It is also recommended that he make a public apology on the floor of the House.

The commissioner said the “severe sanction” was because Mr Cohen’s breach of the rules was “particularly serious”.

The report found Mr Cohen broke rules by not declaring substantial income he received from renting a property in Colchester, which he said was his main residence.

He also wrongly registered a property in his constituency as his second home, while spending most of his time there due to his wife’s ill-health.

This enabled him to claim one of the highest Additional Costs Allowances of all London MPs, including thousands of pounds on a luxury bathroom and more than £100-a-month on cleaning products.

Giving evidence before the Committee for Standards, Mr Cohen apologised for the breach, but said claiming a London supplement, which he was entitled to do, instead of ACA "would not have saved the taxpayer a penny".

But the report contests this assertion, saying the supplement would have entitled him to £6000, rather then the tens of thousands he received through ACA.

He also complained that a "far more robust system" of support should have been available to members to help them interpret and abide by the rules.

The commissioner responded: “Mr Cohen might have gained a clearer understanding of the rules if he had provided the House authorities with fuller information about his arrangements.”

Click here to follow the Waltham Forest Guardian on Twitter