Trying to make sense of the expenses scandal
For the last week or so it has been impossible to open a newspaper without seeing page after page of revelations over MPs' expenses, and the questionable claims many have made at the taxpayer's expense.
I'm afraid that among those listed in this week's papers was Bexhill's Tory MP Greg Barker. He has, it turns out, made an enormous amount of money from selling a flat originally paid for by the taxpayer. At a time when we are all feeling the squeeze of the financial crisis, this revelation is extremely galling.
Certainly this does not quite compare to a Conservative MP's claim to have his moat fixed, or a claim for a chandelier in the headline-grabbing stakes. But as a multi-millionaire and one of the richest MPs in the country, I am surprised that Barker sees it as acceptable to use for his own profit money which was originally intended to cover an expense incurred – second homes are not intended as 'perks'.
The Prime Minister has done the right thing by calling for an independent commission to examine MPs' expenses claims. The onus is on MPs now to comply fully with the findings and recommendations of the enquiry (something the Tories are so far alone in not committing to). Otherwise, voters will seem even less connected to their elected representatives, and extremist fringe parties will benefit from the recent expenses scandals.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
