Maria Miller, expenses, Leveson, newspapers: a heady mix

It was only a 30 second apology, but clearly Maria Miller hoped that would be that after she apologised for over-claiming her expenses in the House of Commons on Thursday.

Ms Miller apologised after she was ordered to repay nearly £6,000 in over-claimed mortgage expenses and heavily criticised by the cross-party standards committee for failing to co-operate with a 15-month investigation into her use of allowances.

But the issue rumbles on – not least because some have raised eyebrows at the unusual step from MPs on the committee to reject the independent standards commissioner’s verdict that Ms Miller should pay back £45,000.

And there is another element too. On Friday morning, ex-Telegraph editor Tony Gallagher took to the airwaves to reiterate claims that Ms Miller had threatened the paper over its reporting of her expenses claims back in 2012, obliquely pointing out the risks of publishing an unfavourable story when Ms Miller was so closely involved with the Leveson process to regulate the press.

Magic TV moment. Maria Miller’s Conservative Club in Basingstoke, got delivery this morning from Smelly Alley Fish Co pic.twitter.com/6n8NeDlro1

— Michael Crick (@MichaelLCrick) April 4, 2014

More importantly, Mr Gallagher even alleged that the prime minister’s spokesman, Craig Oliver, had made a similar threat at the time, which he described as “menacing”.

Mr Oliver said such claims were “utterly false”. He told the BBC he intervened in 2012 because reporters on the story were putting “inappropriate” pressure on Ms Miller’s father.

“It is utterly false for Tony Gallagher to suggest he was threatened over Leveson by me in any way. My conversation with him was about the inappropriate door-stepping of an elderly man,” he said.

Mr Gallagher disagreed: “I got a call from Craig Oliver pointing out that she [Maria Miller] is looking at Leveson. These seem to be examples of an attempt to lean on a newspaper and prevent it going about its legitimate business.”

Perhaps for this reason, the newspapers this morning have gone after Ms Miller with some venom. The Telegraph in particular accuses MPs of “conspiring” to save her.

But Prime Minister David Cameron has said it is time to “leave it” on the expenses row.

Speaking on a visit to Devon, Mr Cameron said: “What happened yesterday is that Maria Miller was actually cleared of the original charge made against her.

“It was found that she had made mistakes, she accepted that, repaid the money, she apologised unreservedly to the House of Commons so I think that we should leave it there.”

Is it "time to leave it"? What do you think? Get in touch with Channel 4 News on Twitter @Channel4News or Facebook.