SDLP MP Eddie McGrady is to receive substantial libel damages over a newspaper report on his expense claims, it has been revealed.
The publishers of the Sunday Life newspaper have also issued an unreserved apology to the South Down representative as part of a settlement announced at the High Court in Belfast.
Mr McGrady sued after an article appeared in the newspaper in June making references to his accommodation arrangements in London.
Independent News and Media (NI) acknowledged yesterday that the report published in the Sunday Life under the headline “I wanna live like Commons people” was unfair to the MP and that his expenses were in fact entirely justifiable.
A statement read out in court added: “Mr McGrady has also pointed out, and the defendant accepts, that in his case the hotel provided better value for taxpayers than a claim for a second home in London.
“Moreover, Mr McGrady remains fully committed to openness and transparency in relation to MPs’ expenses and supports the planned overhaul of the entire system.
Following the settlement, Mr McGrady’s lawyer Paul Tweed, senior partner with Johnsons Solicitors, hit out at what he described as an “outrageous attack” on the MP’s character.
Mr Tweed said: “The suggestion that my client had been enjoying the champagne lifestyle at the expense of the taxpayer was totally unfounded..”