MP Expenses

Chris P Bacon · MP Expenses

Another cabinet minister was dragged into the row over MPs' expenses last night when it emerged Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary during the Iraq war, claimed expenses on his constituency home and rented out his London house while living throughout the conflict in a grace-and-favour flat in Whitehall.

Hoon, who is now transport secretary, lived for three-and-a-half years in Admiralty House while the London property he registered as his "main residence" was let to a private tenant. This allowed the MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire to claim around £50,000 in expenses for running his constituency residence, which was entered as his "second home" with the Commons authorities,

Mr Hoon has said he has acted within his rights

Would it be right for me to charge an OAP £2000.00 to decorate her lounge, No but it would be within my rights but moraly Wrong!

Come on MPs clean up your act and fast.

Local lass

its totaly shocking what they can claim.

pimpdriver

bent as a 9 bob note.

You are right, just because the rules allow them, it does not mean it is "fair and reasonable" in the eyes of "joe public".

I hope the Inland Revenue investigates them as these are "perks", and hence taxable.

Local lass

why should a mp get his house decorated on expences anyway.?travel and hotels providing they are to do with being a mp fine but not decorating.

GTB

I think these M.P's, although it's not against any current laws, are setting a very bad example of "do as we say and not as we do" type of principle. Why should I have to pay my taxes to keep a roof over an M.P's head when he only lives within 20 miles of London, make them commute just like the rest of us - that way at least they are kept in the real world. This sort of thing started the French revolution and if it carries on much longer the tax payer is going to get very fed up having to shell out extra money to people who, in a good number of instances, are on £100,000 per annum.

Peter Dolman

without supporting them, because I don't, the MP's are dammed if they do and dammed if they don't. Our MP's should be rewarded for the work they do and that should include some recognition of the importance of the job they do.
I think they should have a higher basic, a fixed allowance for operating an office (no relatives please) and a car. Any additional costs should be paid for by the MP. This may focus their minds and ensure expenditure is kept to a minimum.
Their pay review should be carried out by an independant body whose members should be non political and who would be appointed by a chairman who would not be nominated by the government.

The pay review would be binding and the MP's would not be allowed to vote on the award.

I think its true to say that we get the parliament we, the people, deserve.
If we believe that all MP's are corrupt it just reflects societies attitude.
Bearing in my what has happened to the banks and financial institutes it kinds of makes my point!

GTB

Peter Dolman

I agree in that they should not have second jobs as there is always the danger of a conflict of interest.

kathy27

Im not very sure when it comes to politics, but in my own opinion i would say it was wrong for the tax payers to be paying for second homes for anyone!
I have two homes and i pay for the decorating of them both.
I also work, i have a very important job that saves the government thousands but i dont get paid half as much as they do, im not given a car and cant claim for fringe benefits...........What am i doing wrong