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A former adviser to a Labor MP has admitted making fraudulent expenses claims on the parliament’s travel booking system.
Matthew Torbitt asked Bury South MP Christian Wakeford for “non-parliamentary purposes” train tickets between August 2022 and September 2024, Thames Magistrates’ Court heard.
He also admitted making a false claim for travel and accommodation expenses on 2 October 2024.
Torbitt, 35, most recently worked as a political commentator and regularly appears on programs including GB News, LBC, Sky News, BBC Newsnight and Times Radio.
Prosecutor Mysha Mannan told the court the claims totaled more than £6,000 according to earlier estimates by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), but the exact sum would be calculated at a later date.
Torbitt, who appeared in court dressed in navy blue, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation.
District Judge Navneet Sher sent the case to Snaresbrook Crown Court for a further date, which has not yet been fixed.
“It couldn’t have been four weeks ago in any case,” she told the defendant.
Torbitt worked in various advisory roles for Labor frontbenchers between 2018 and 2024.
The Metropolitan Police said earlier that an investigation was launched after police received a report that an MP working for an MP had made unauthorized purchases through the travel booking system.
On June 9, he was charged with a postal solicitation.
Torbitt is engaged to feminist and 2021 Love Island contestant Sharon Gafka.
According to Torbitt’s Instagram page, the couple welcomed a son earlier this month.
