David Cameron defends Maria Miller: ‘She has apologised which was the right thing to do’

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Prime Minister David Cameron has stood by Culture Secretary Maria Miller following an apology she made over expenses claims for her second home.

The Culture Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities was last week ordered  to repay £5,800 and apologise to MPs after over-claiming expenses on her mortgage.

The former Conservative cabinet minister and ex-Tory chairman Lord Tebbit has accused Mrs Miller of “arrogance” and urged her to step down. 

Speaking today, the Prime Minister said: “Maria Miller is in her job and she is doing a good job as Culture Secretary.

“Also, she went through this process and the committee found that she had made a mistake in her mortgage claims. She paid back money. She made an apology and that’s the right thing to do.

“We ought to remember she was found innocent of the claim that was levelled at her,” he said.

The Minister for Women and Equalities was responsible for steering the government’s same-sex marriage legislation through the House of Commons.

Lord Tebbit was one of the staunchest opponents against the government’s decision to legalise equal marriage during the debates in the House of Lords last year.

He said that David Cameron had “fucked things up” by introducing same-sex marriage, as it would lead to incestuous or polygamous marriage.

Conservative MP and former party leader Iain Duncan Smith at the weekend came to the defence of Maria Miller over recent expenses inquiries, saying she is facing a possible Tory backlash for “the gay marriage stuff.”

A Change.org petition has been started which calls for Mrs Miller to “pay back £45,000 in fraudulent expense claims or resign.” At time of publication, around 80,000 people had signed it.

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