Well well well, no sooner have MPs tried to rule a line under the expenses scandal, which has engulfed Westminster for the last 9 months, a new can of worms is opened.

It is a little known fact that our MP’s are allowed to book Parliamentary banqueting rooms for outside interests, in many cases outside interest that the sponsoring MP has a financial interest in.

A prime example of this mixing of business with pleasure at our expense comes from the Chairman of the Environmental Audit Select Committee, Tim Yeo.

Guido revealed this evening that in July last year Yeo sponsored an event for the Environmental Investment Network, which tool place in Members’ Dining Room. Nothing wrong with that I hear you say. Well Yeo is also chairman of AFC Energy plc which is developing “environmentally friendly fuel cells”.

At the time of the EIN shindig AFC Energy plc trying to raise £2 million. According to Guido’s report

“For each of the following five months AFC Energy paid Tim Yeo £3,750 a month (up to a total of £18,750) until in December when they succeeded in raising the £2m they were seeking from environmental investors in a share placing. Tim also got a bonus when the shares were placed with investors of 150,000 shares for his work. All in all he made a total of some £80,000 out of the AFC deal from July when he hosted the Environmental Investment Network event until December when they sold the shares to investors.”