Blair & Brown: new kitchens on the taxpayer

[Sweetpea]

The extravagant expenses claims made by MPs on their second homes finally emerged last night.
Michael Martin, the Commons Speaker, caved in after a three-year legal battle and published a receipt-by-receipt breakdown of the £12million-a-year perk.

The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, exposed the frivolous way politicians have used public money.
They have spent it on everything from window cleaning to rockeries to sprucing up mock Tudor gables.

Mr Martin sparked outrage after wasting more than £200,000 of taxpayers' cash in a bid to keep a detailed breakdown of the additional costs allowances under wraps.
He faced calls to quit last week after High Court judges ruled full public disclosure was in the public interest and did not jeopardise MPs' security.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1021534/Blair-Brown-new-kitchens-taxpayer-John-Lewis-list-expense-claims-reveal.html


Thieves!

[ambriel]

These revelations only serve to strengthen many people's belief that our politicians are corrupt and only in it for what they can get.

Interesting to see that Cameron only claimed for his mortgage interest, when the others had their snouts deeply buried in the trough.

Maybe we should all write to our MPs and demand details of their own individual expense claims for the last three years, under the FOI Act?

Originally Posted by ambriel

Maybe we should all write to our MPs and demand details of their own individual expense claims for the last three years, under the FOI Act?

Probably get a letter from the MP's Surgery explaining that they're too busy to answer right now.

[ambriel]

Originally Posted by churchill

Probably get a letter from the MP's Surgery explaining that they're too busy to answer right now.

The nice thing about the FOI Act is that they're not allowed to do that. They have to repond to your request within 20 days or they're breaking the law.

My letter will go in the post today.

Keep us informed as to results...or NON results.

[poppy]

I think there is a lot more dodgy stuff to come to light yet.

Originally Posted by poppy

I think there is a lot more dodgy stuff to come to light yet.

Too right Poppy, anyone remember when the shredders were working at full pelt into the samll hours in Whitehall a few years ago, to get rid of any incriminating documents that could come to light when the FIA came into force?

Reminds me of the pictures of the Stassi H.Q (East German secret police), on the night the wall fell over. 300+ shredders they had going!