New transport minister gave nearly £10,000 of taxpayer cash to unnamed business through MPs expenses

• Karl McCartney claimed £9,600 in expenses for payments to a mystery company called "A".
• Last year, Insider revealed "A" stood for donor's firm Anagallis Communications, in previous claims.

A Conservative MP recently appointed as a transport minister has handed almost £10,000 of publicly-funded expenses to a mystery firm.

Karl McCartney has made two claims of £4,800 each in March 2021 for "Provision of Professional and Administrative Services - A", data published by Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) show.

The name of the business is not known, however Insider has previously revealed how McCartney attempted to hide details for two expenses claims of £4800 each to Anagallis Communications. This firm is run by Nigel Szembel, who helped fund McCartney's first campaign to Parliament in 2010.

In the original IPSA filings, also for two claims for "Provision of Professional and Administrative Services", the firm was listed simply on the register as "A".

Invoices disclosed through freedom of information show the A in that case was Anagallis Communications.

If A is being used again to represent Anagallis, McCartney will have handed the firm a total of £40,800 of taxpayer money.

McCartney was recently appointed as a junior minister in the Department for Transport, his first government position since he was elected in 2010. His page on gov.uk suggests he currently has no responsibilities. He is in line for a £5,618.75 pay out should he lose his role when the next prime minister begins their premiership in September.

Anneliese Dodds, the chair of the Labour Party, said Insider's findings raised concerns about McCartney's approach to transparency.

"This isn't the first time questions have been raised about why Karl McCartney appears to be dishing out dosh to a firm run by one of his donors," she added.

"As a newly-appointed transport minister, he is now responsible for tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded projects. The least the public can expect is basic transparency over the expenses he enjoys as an MP."

Despite the relationship between McCartney and Szembel, IPSA's rules were not breached by McCartney awarding the work to Szembel.

Insider has also previously revealed how McCartney failed to properly declare his links to a family firm called "Moonlighting Systems". The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found McCartney breached the rules of the House of Commons three times.

McCartney's office and Anagallis Communications did not respond to Insider's request for comment.