Family payment MP to stand down

The British Conservative MP at the centre of a storm for paying his son almost £50,000 of public money for doing nothing, said today he will quit politics at the next election.

Just a day after Conservative leader David Cameron expelled him from the parliamentary party, Derek Conway (54), said he did not want to be a "distraction".

Mr Conway, who is also facing a parliamentary inquiry and a possible police investigation, says his son had been acting as his researcher while at university and that the money had been paid in salary to him.

But the Commons standards committee found his son had done little or no work for him.

Frederick Conway (22), a Newcastle University geography student was paid almost £12,000 a year, plus bonuses, for almost three years.

Leaked documents also show Mr Conway's elder son, Henry (25), had been paid more than 32,000 pounds in parliamentary allowances and bonuses between 2001 and 2004 when he too was an undergraduate.

Mr Conway said in a statement issued via Conservative headquarters that he would not context the next election.

"I have had tremendous support from my local party, my family and friends but have concluded that it is time to step down," he said.

© 2008 ireland.com