Derek Conway, the disgraced MP branded an embezzler by parliamentary colleagues, halved his secretary’s salary to £7,875 while paying his sons and their friend tens of thousands of pounds in overtime and bonuses, it was claimed last night.

MPs yesterday voted to suspend him from the Commons for ten days and order him to return £13,161 of the money he paid his son Freddie, as new details emerged about how he ran his private office. Mr Conway, 54, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, has had the Conservative whip withdrawn and says he will not fight the next election.

Lisa Rayson, Mr Conway’s constituency secretary, was told he could not afford to pay her £15,000-a-year wages because money was tight. In June 2007, her hours and salary were halved to £7,875 for a 17.5 hour week, according to documents obtained by the Daily Mail, even though friends say she continued to put in a full week’s work.

Weeks before the salary reduction, Mr Conway gave his younger son Freddie, 22, a bonus of £1,765. Three months later he gave an £11,000-a-year research assistant job to Michel Pratte, a friend of his older son Henry.

A friend of Ms Rayson said that she was on benefits and was appalled there was money available to pay his sons but hers was cut. Mr Conway had “said he had to halve her wages because money was tight. It smacks really badly of double standards, considering he was paying his sons all that money while her wages were cut,” Peter Moore said. “She is a single parent forced to live on the amount of money the Conway sons would spend in one night on champagne. Now she faces losing her job. He didn’t even tell her he was standing down,” he told the Mail.

Yesterday Henry sent a defiant e-mail to 800 of his friends saying that the partying would go on. Kate Middleton, the girlfriend of Prince William, was among those to learn that: “Contrary to reports, I will be doing Mahiki [a nightclub] this week . . . I will be storming forth in my usual skinnies and boots, and of course good hair.”

Derek Conway could not be contacted last night.

MPs formally agreed to the penalty recommended by the Standards and Privileges Committee, which this week found him guilty of misuse of public funds over payments to Freddie.

Frank Field, the Labour MP for Birkenhead, yesterday called for tougher penalties for politicians who break the rules and suggested that Mr Conway was guilty of embezzlement. Mr Field rejected claims that Mr Conway had been punished enough by deciding to stand down at the election and told MPs he should have been thrown out of the Commons at once.

During the debate several prominent MPs called for an end to the tradition of self-governance by allowing outside auditors to check their expenses claims. Their interventions came even though the Speaker, Michael Martin, who has resisted a proposal for independent checks, reminded MPs that the Commons had referred decisions on Members’ allowances to a committee chaired by him.

Sir George Young, chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee, which proposed Mr Conway’s suspension, argued that Mr Conway had “paid the price” for overlooking the principle that MPs should treat taxpayers’ money in the way they expected of others. “To those who say that the punishments that the House imposes on those who break its rules are disproportionately light, I would only add that the reputational consequences of our reports can be fatal,” he said.

Despite the intense controversy generated by Mr Conway’s behaviour, MPs spent just 37 minutes debating the punishment for the MP, who was absent. Sir George said members of his committee were astonished at the lack of proof of work done by Freddie in the three years he was a research assistant, during which he was paid an unjustifiably high salary based on a full-time rate of £25,970 plus higher than permitted bonuses.

Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary and former Leader of the House, said that MPs should have to declare all members of staff paid from public funds.

A Conservative MEP last night apologised to the German President of the European Parliament after comparing his powers to those seized by Hitler in 1933. There was uproar in the European chamber, and Daniel Hannan could be expelled from the centre-right grouping, the European People’s Party.

Mr Hannan, an MEP for South East England, has been filibustering in protest against the EU treaty and the lack of referendums on it. Yesterday he complained over parliamentary powers allowing the President, Hans-Gert Pöttering, to override such protests.

Trouble in the House

George Galloway (Ind, Bethnal Green & Bow) failed to register links to Iraqi-linked charity. Suspended for 18 days in July 2007, he remains one of Britain’s best-known politicians

Jonathan Sayeed (C, Bedfordshire Mid) involved in firm offering paid tours of Parliament. Suspended for two weeks in 2005, then stood down from Commons on health grounds

Clive Betts (Lab, Sheffield Attercliffe) employed lover as Commons researcher and supported his false immigration claim. Suspended for seven days in 2003, remains an MP

Michael Trend (C, Windsor) claimed £90,000 in expenses for second home he did not have. Suspended for two weeks in 2003 and ordered to repay £90,000. Stood down at last election

Keith Vaz (Lab, Leicester East) failed to declare financial links to businessmen, then obstructed subsequent inquiry. Suspended for a month in 2002. Now chairman of Commons Home Affairs Committee

Teresa Gorman failed to register husband’s extensive property interests while trying to change rental laws. Suspended for a month in 2000, stood down from Commons in 2001

John Maxton (Lab, Glasgow Cathcart) misused office budget for political purposes, then obstructed subsequent inquiry. Proceedings dropped after private apology. Appointed to House of Lords by Tony Blair in 2004

Bob Wareing (Lab, Liverpool West Derby) failed to register financial interests, suspended for a week in 1997. Still an MP

David Tredinnick (C, Bosworth) accepted £1,000 in cash from undercover reporter in return for tabling parliamentary questions in 1995. Suspended for 20 days, remains an MP

Source: Times database

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