Wish I could steal £16k, get away with it and call it a mistake.

[Jon the Hat]

Now its your turn to claim some expenses back

Fill in your claim and send it to your MP. Incidental dog walking costs can reach £100 a day you know!

"When you leave S****horpe can we rename it Shorpe please." Class.

[l444ry]

Lets look at Larry's list:

Bus passes, taxi rides. petrol - Travel - entirely appropriate.

paper clips, staple extractors, heating oil - Office / second home expenses - and your problem is?

his subscription to his local rag, his local newsletter and all other papers in the area - keeping in touch with local opinion and issues - clearly a terrrible idea for an MP.

Creation and the maintenance of his own website, £564 for new pictures of himself - communications allowance t0 keep in touch with constituents in the age of the internet when people want to know things now. Shocking.

We know the second homes allowance needs reform, and about 400 MPs seem to have been taking the piss on that one.

I am sure I could save plenty of money and climb the Times rich list if I could get someone to pay nearly everything for me. - Not with that huge chip on your shoulder mate. And why would you want to when you so obviously hate the successful and wealthy?

You're a complete idiot Jon!!! For what it's worth, I've been self-employed since I was 16 yrs. old and have built up and sold three different businesses over the following 20 years. "Chip on my shoulder" - don't make me laugh.

Political belief should come from the heart, not text books, mate.

[Jon the Hat]

You're a complete idiot Jon!!! For what it's worth, I've been self-employed since I was 16 yrs. old and have built up and sold three different businesses over the following 20 years. "Chip on my shoulder" - don't make me laugh.

Political belief should come from the heart, not text books, mate.

Personally I prefer to think with my head not my heart - and I can;t think of ever having read a political text book - they didn't teach it in my school.

You come across as a sensible enough bloke, but you appear to have a bugbear which is more about people being successful and rewarded than it is about any substantive issue. We need to support our politicians in their jobs - hence why I think most of what you are pulling your hair out about is actually reasonable. You seem to consider Tories worse than Labour, whereas my view is that coming throught the labour party from a working background and living the high life as a result is far more hypocritical than those with money continuing their lifestyles at taxpayers expense. Either way it needs to stop.

[Ultra]

As far as I'm concerned, this country needs primaries at constituency party level, to determine who is to stand for MP in a particular area at the next general election. This way, MPs can be made to answer to their constituency, who will make the decision as to their futures. Hopefully, this would also promote more independent minded MPs across the board, restraining the whips on either party and giving a little more strength to parliament.

But this system has not exactly been a massive success in the States - mainly because only those with large incomes can afford to stand.

Making the Commons an exclusive millionaires-only club is hardly likely to restore faith in politics.

[davieG]

MPs are facing a further challenge to their expense claims when Parliament resumes after the summer recess.

Many will receive letters from an official investigator who has been looking at MPs' claims dating from the past five years, the BBC has learnt.

The MPs will be asked to justify their claims, and may be asked to provide further evidence to back them up.

In an interview in the Daily Telegraph, Gordon Brown has said he thinks "the worst offenders" should be prosecuted.

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander told the BBC that MPs had a duty to respond to the letters.

After the publication of hundreds of claims earlier this year, several MPs announced they would stand down.

Full report - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8300332.stm

[Thracian]

Twat.

It's alright, we'll all pay for you ****'s and then company's and people run out of money, and pay the price.

Would we get in trouble? Get sent to jail? Get abused?

Will these bastard MP's? Doubt it - Not as much as the standard person on the street if they did it anyway.

No wonder Labour are so reluctant to deal with criminals. They're so full of shit themselves they've got no credibility at all when it comes to making and administering laws.

[Alexikokopops]

No wonder Labour are so reluctant to deal with criminals. They're so full of shit themselves they've got no credibility at all when it comes to making and administering laws.

It was, of course, only Labour MPs caught up in the whole scandel...

[Thracian]

It was, of course, only Labour MPs caught up in the whole scandel...

Unlike Labour and its supporters I won't make excuses for anyone. But right now and for a long, long time, it's been Labour calling the tune and Labour setting the standards. And pretty diabolical they've been by any yardstick.

I gather they're even ignoring their own rules and are about to offer an amnesty to another few hundred thousand asylum seekers.

I sometimes fail to understand why they even go through the process of making laws or rules at all. Cos they seem to think nothing of breaking them, and attempting to hide their actions, whenever its convenient or expedient.

Wasn't Harriet Harman, no less, alleged to have left the scene of an accident just recently - having already got two motoring convictions? Yes, it remains an allegation that will doubtless be airbrushed over and yes, it wasn't of great consequence in the scheme of things anyway. But if I'd left the scene of an accident I'd soon be facing the walk down shit creek.

Sidestep all you like on behalf of this Government but they are the ones supposed to be doing the leading and setting the examples right now.

[Guest]

Unlike Labour and its supporters I won't make excuses for anyone. But right now and for a long, long time, it's been Labour calling the tune and Labour setting the standards. And pretty diabolical they've been by any yardstick.

My understanding is that abuse of the expenses system has been going on for decades, certainly pre-dating the current administration. I am just glad that this Labour Government made expenses public, as this has been going on behind closed doors for so long.

[Webbo]

My understanding is that abuse of the expenses system has been going on for decades, certainly pre-dating the current administration. I am just glad that this Labour Government made expenses public, as this has been going on behind closed doors for so long.

Err made public because a civil servant blew the whistle. They tried hard enough to keep it secret.

[Guest]

Err made public because a civil servant blew the whistle. They tried hard enough to keep it secret.

I'm trying to be one sided with maximum fact distortion as it appears to be the only way to present a case at times.

[stez]

Sidestep all you like on behalf of this Government but they are the ones supposed to be doing the leading and setting the examples right now.

that's the job of all MPs, alan duncan included

[Thracian]

I'm trying to be one sided with maximum fact distortion as it appears to be the only way to present a case at times.

Certainly is when you're citing a case for the Government.

[Thracian]

.

I'm all for a change of government, or at the very least a change of personnel, but I don't think I could ever bring myself to vote Tory. I'd struggle to be convinced that they have any interest in anything any other than the needs of big business, and pandering to those more than they would have done previously ultimately hasn't helped Labour in the slightest, has it?

Funny that. People have the same perceptions about wealthy people or people who speak with a posh accent.

Whereas in my experience, many such people are exceedingly generous - and not just with their money but with their time and commitment to helping those who need it.

[Scow]

Funny that. People have the same perceptions about wealthy people or people who speak with a posh accent.

Whereas in my experience, many such people are exceedingly generous - and not just with their money but with their time and commitment to helping those who need it.

Just because you deal with 'high value' items, it doesn't mean that ideology extends to the vast majority.

[davieG]

So that's it then claims expenses illegally - all she has to do is apologise to the House of Commons, why not to the public and then not even having pay it back never mind being prosecuted.

Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has been told to apologise in the House of Commons for breaching expenses rules.

She designated her sister's house in London, which she shares, as her "main home" and then claimed second home allowances on her Redditch family home.

A standards inquiry found that breached the rules but that she had followed Commons officials' advice at the time.

Ms Smith, expected to apologise to MPs later, will not have to pay money back but was "disappointed" at the outcome.

From the BBC -

[Alexikokopops]

I'm still finding it really hard to get worked up about this whole thing

[stez]

So that's it then claims expenses illegally - all she has to do is apologise to the House of Commons, why not to the public and then not even having pay it back never mind being prosecuted.

From the BBC -

of course she turned down her grace and favour home secretary's residence to keep claiming her expenses

[Lillehamring]

just turned on sky news to see an MP (John Mann) complaing that MPs shouldn't expect to decide their own pay...

not really my field of expertise, but it seemed a genuinely refreshing interview.

[Jon the Hat]

just turned on sky news to see an MP (John Mann) complaing that MPs shouldn't expect to decide their own pay...

not really my field of expertise, but it seemed a genuinely refreshing interview.

They are saying that becuase every independent review has said their salaries should go up considerably, and for reasons of political expediency, they have held it relativlely low and filled the gap with expenses. You watch as MP's hand over the whole lot to an "independent body" who incredibly then ups their salaries by £20k compensating most for the loss of allowances.

[Dr The Singh]

They are saying that becuase every independent review has said their salaries should go up considerably, and for reasons of political expediency, they have held it relativlely low and filled the gap with expenses. You watch as MP's hand over the whole lot to an "independent body" who incredibly then ups their salaries by £20k compensating most for the loss of allowances.

This is the great British way................

[davieG]

They are saying that becuase every independent review has said their salaries should go up considerably, and for reasons of political expediency, they have held it relativlely low and filled the gap with expenses. You watch as MP's hand over the whole lot to an "independent body" who incredibly then ups their salaries by £20k compensating most for the loss of allowances.

With the Chair of said body, unsurprisingly eventually ending up in the Lords (after having increased their remuneration levels)

[Zingari]

well well well ,,

at least one MP has decided it might have been a rash decision to flounce off in a hissy fit about their expenses

Julie Kirkbride reverses resignation

Julie Kirkbride, the Conservative MP, who said she would stand down from Parliament over the expenses row, has asked to be considered as a general election candidate after all.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics...n-decision.html

[davieG]

On and on and on!

A Conservative MP has stood down from the post of chairman of Parliament's standards committee while his own expenses are being investigated.

David Curry is to refer himself to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over suggestions he claimed money for a property he was barred from using.

The former minister insisted that he used the property for his parliamentary duties.

The Standards Committee has the power to discipline rule-breaking MPs.

Mr Curry, MP for Skipton and Ripon in North Yorkshire, only became its chairman two months ago when his predecessor, Sir George Young, was appointed to the shadow cabinet.

The Committee is responsible for deciding what action should be taken against MPs investigated by the Standards Commissioner and whose conduct has been criticised.

'Content with arrangements'

In recent months, it has asked two former ministers, Jacqui Smith and Tony McNulty, to apologise to the House of Commons over their use of the controversial second homes allowance.

The Daily Telegraph has alleged that Mr Curry claimed £30,000 towards a cottage in his constituency - which his wife reportedly demanded he keep away from as part of the conditions of their reconciliation after she discovered he was having an affair.

The MP has referred the allegations to the Parliamentary sleaze watchdog, John Lyon, who is investigating the expenses claims of a number of MPs from all parties.

In a statement, Mr Curry said: "I used the cottage to carry out my duties as a constituency MP and am content with my arrangements."

But Conservative sources said the MP would stand down from his role as chairman of the Standards Committee pending the inquiry's outcome.

Mr Curry, a former minister in the Major government, was first elected to Parliament in 1987.

[Head Honcho]

They are saying that becuase every independent review has said their salaries should go up considerably, and for reasons of political expediency, they have held it relativlely low and filled the gap with expenses. You watch as MP's hand over the whole lot to an "independent body" who incredibly then ups their salaries by £20k compensating most for the loss of allowances.

So if they were to scrap allowances and gave themselves a payrise to initially compensate £13 million isn't really asking a lot is it?

£250,000 a week for 600 MP's.

Aren't some footballers paid this every week!