Jun/090
MP’s Expenses – The story so far
Around the time when the fierce debate and inquiry into the Gurkhas’ rights was in full swing, the Prime Minister’s director of communications, already up to his neck dealing with requests from the media, received a phone call from The Daily Telegraph. In the very short phone call a request for a secure email direct to the Prime Minister was made. Within minutes Gordon Brown received a letter about expense claims to his inbox and it was at that moment that politics would change forever.
Information on these expense claims was released under the Freedom of Information Act in early June 2009 but for ’security reasons’ specific details of second home claims were deleted meaning that speculation and rumours started to grow and served only to fan the flames of suspicion. The worst possible cases of abusing the system would remain hidden from public view for the time being.
Despite Mr. Brown being confident that his own expense discrepancies could be fully explained, it was clear that, for his fellow MP’s who had been concerned over constant rumours about expense receipts for months now, the situation would be much grimmer.
The crucial question for him was just how many of his own MPs – and how many members of the Government – were about to be caught out.
One by one the Prime Minister received phone calls about ministers who were about to be embarrased – Hazel Blears, Alistair Darling, and Geoff Hoon were to become the focus of the “flipping” scandal. “Flipping” was the term given by The Telegraph to the way in which MP’s would change the details of their second home in order to avoid making payments on both of their homes.
In some light-hearted relief from the public’s anger over the expenses, The Telegraph reported that John Prescott – once labelled the ‘Pie Eater’ had claimed the maximum allowed for food each year and had claimed for 2 toilet seats to be repaired in the space of two years.
Other news stories began creeping onto our screens as the expenses scandal showed small signs of abating but it wasn’t to last. The Telegraph hit us with the Justice Minister Shahid Malik’s receipts for £66,000 on his second home while renting a consituancy home of a crook. Malik appeared on Sky News to protest his innocence claiming he was “one million per cent” within the boundaries of the rules but Gordon Brown had already made up his mind – he had to go.
YOU the consumer/tax payer are footing the bill. The story continues…
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