MPs' expenses: Police take first step towards charges against Denis MacShane MPs found the documents were falsified and the money was paid into a bank account which Mr MacShane controlled. He admitted his guilt in a series of letters to John Lyon, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, which were published in last week's report by the Commons" Committee on Standards and Privileges. In one, Mr MacShane described the EPI as a "convenient vehicle" to cover costs. He also made numerous admissions about his use of a fictitious signature on the invoices which MPs said amounted to "writing his own cheque." Liam Laurence Smyth, the Clerk of the Journals, who is responsible for parliamentary privilege issues in the Commons, said last week that this correspondence was inadmissible as evidence in a police inquiry. He admitted that many people would find the situation "surprising" but said privilege was necessary for Parliament to function effectively. Mr Laurence Smyth confirmed police were not provided with any of Mr MacShane's evidence or the other information amassed by the commissioner after the Commons authorities referred the case to them in October 2010. However, Mr Laurence Smyth suggested police may now be able to use the letters as a "map" to further their own inquiries. Police sources said this interpretation of parliamentary privilege would now be closely examined. John Mann, a Labour MP who has campaigned for greater openness on parliamentary expenses, said he believed it was "nonsense" to claim the documents are protected by privilege. Mr Mann argued the rules were primarily designed to protect members from libel claims rather than criminal investigation. One friend of Mr MacShane said: "It hardly seems fair. These claims are very historic and the police looked at them and dropped their inquiries. Denis's parliamentary career has been ended over £12,000 of expenses and yet there is someone who is promoted to the Cabinet after paying £40,000 to his lover. The friend appeared to be referring to the Liberal Democrat David Laws, who returned to Government in the September reshuffle. Mr Laws resigned in May 2010 after he arranged for £40,000 of public money to be paid to his boyfriend as rent - an arrangement in breach of Commons rules. "There are also Tories who abused the expense the system in a far worse way [than Mr MacShane] and yet have not been censured in such a way," the friend added. Mr MacShane's colleague said he was in good spirits and had been "touched" to receive many messages of support from senior Labour Party figures in recent days. It is understood Mr MacShane will now take time out to consider his options. He was born in Glasgow as Denis Matyjaszek to an Irish mother and Polish father. It was while working for the BBC that he changed his surname. His journalistic career also ended in colourful circumstances. He was sacked by the BBC in 1977 for using a fake name to call the radio phone-in programme he worked on. During the call he accused the Conservative politician Reginald Maulding of being a crook. The Tory swiftly threatened to sue. Mr MacShane has been married twice and has four children. It is understood he is currently in a relationship with Vicky Pryce, the ex-wife of Chris Huhne, the former Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary. Ms Pryce and Mr Huhne are set to stand trial in January for perverting the course of justice over a speeding ticket. His resignation will trigger a by-election in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We are aware of the report and will be assessing its contents in due course."