'Eric Illsley resigns over expenses scandal conviction'

Eric Illsley, the first MP to be convicted over the expenses scandal, has resigned. Treasury sources confirmed that Illsley had been granted the ceremonial post of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham - the traditional way of resigning from Parliament. Labour is planning to trigger a by-election in his Barnsley Central seat on March 3. Illsley - former advisor to trade group the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations - is due to be sentenced on Thursday after admitting dishonestly claiming £14,000 of expenses on January 11 - Telegraph​

Group buying website Groupon has had another ad banned after overstating savings to its users, a watchdog said. A sales promotion on the website Groupon MyCityDeal promised buyers a 74% saving by paying £24 for a four-course meal for two at a Nottinghamshire pub instead of £92. But a complainant challenged whether the ad was misleading because he believed it exaggerated the saving - Press Association​

Sky is being investigated over claims it is ripping off subscribers to its movie channels.The broadcaster has been accused of making 'excess profits' on its deals with the major Hollywood studios, which give it exclusive rights to show their movies. BSkyB is believed to have spent around £270million on the deals last year, but it is estimated to have taken double that in revenues from its movie packages - Daily Mail ​

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said the industry received 467,000 claims during the period, affecting vehicles, homes and businesses. Of these, 190,000 claims related to property damage at a cost of £900m, with 103,000 accounting for burst pipe damage. A further 278,000 were linked to vehicle damage costing £530m - Telegraph​