• £5,000 bill for empty grace-and-favour flats

Reader views (59)

 Add your view

For more on this see
http://secondhomegravytrain.wordpress.com

- Epa, London

If she wants respect she'll have to earn it and taking from the public coffers (however legal it may be) to feather her own nest is hardly the best way to achieve it.

A Labour MP taking money better spect on alleviating poverty, who the hell are the 30% who say they'll still vote labour? State employees I guess plus, perhaps, those with sub 80 IQs.

- Michael, Glasgow, UK

More snouts in the trough, and yet - incredulously - there are still people stupid enough to vote for this shambles of a party.

Wake up!

- Steve, London

Graham, Ilford
You know what, I have always considered the salary of MP's grossly low, and as a result blamed it for some of the poor quality of the recruits we got. Also the selection process from the Parties I never fully understand (...).
Anyhow, if they had a much higher salary, and the regulations put a very reasonable limit on their expenses we would not have this debate.
I would rather have a debate on quality of policies, and results in the front line where it counts, as our civilisation as we know it is in danger of extinction.
It is easier to be destructive than to build up anything, and if you do not like it, make proposals, be an activist, lobby, don't just whine and criticise.

- Nabil H, London, UK

After carrying out social engineering for years by passing laws to make us conform maybe they no longer want too,like the rest of us.Maybe they'll be out of a job soon & need something 'for that rainy day'

- Barry Cox, Haywards Heath. UK

Yet another reason not to vote for any of the big three parties next time! I won't be. They need a loud and clear message that Joe Public has had enough of paying for them to live the life of riley when everyone else is trying to make ends meet and worrying about whether they'll have a job soon.

- Sue, Orpington, Kent

Quite simply if they have commited a crime which it looks as if she and others have then they should be tried and fined/jailed same as anyone else

- Mike, London England

Yet another MP more interested in self serving, than serving the country. What can we do about it?

- David, Fleet UK

Nabil H: Did it not occur to you that MPs have offices as well as homes, and as she has some junior ministerial post (despite the fact that she has only been in parliament since 2005) she should use her office. A London MP doesn't need 2 London homes.

- Graham, Ilford Essex

Nobby Clark, I worked as an executive in industries and travelled continuously in the past, and I used to have flats at my disposal in every country I needed to be based, as I needed the space and silence to focus on the work at hand, maybe you have no idea what it means to work in the executive?
and no I am not a politician in disguise, though the way we treat them here is a strong disincentive to choose to consider becoming a lawmaker one day, that might explain some of the poor quality we sometimes encounter...
And by the way, no country can run without an executive.

- Nabil H, London, UK

This is just another example of the corruption of politicians - this is an MP who regularly sends leaflets about hospital closures - maybe if she took less money there would be more money for the NHS

- Debbie, Willesden Green, willesden green, UK

Whats wrong with her having her home here, she is alt least living in it and working from there, it dos make sense for her to have her home in the constituency where she lives. if people are not happy with her work , the election will bring some changes if people want a change.

- M Asghar, wembley UK

MP's are allowed to claim a 2nd home allowance to be able to do thier job more efficiently? Be closer to work?

This is another insult to the workers in the UK who, like myself, travel an hour to get to work daily. If we can still do an efficient job, well we have no choice to as would be sacked, why can't MP'S do the same?

Why are we taxpayers paying £26,0000 annual housing allowances for MP's who already live in London? How many people don't even earn that and still have to pay rent/mortgage?

At the voting stations, we voters, should not re elect in any MP where we have found they have milked the system dry. If they can't get by on their present salary, then get out and let someone else in who really believes in this County and who is willing to work for the basic salary. We must regard these theives no different to the arrogant bankers.

Voters, we must all wake up otherwise the situation will not change. We want individuals in who are more concerned about this Country than spending hours working out how much to defraud the taxpaper. No wonder nothing constructive gets done.

- Theresa, London

No doubt we will be told,yet again, that it is all within the rules.

So would burglary if the burglars made the law.

the sooner we get rid of this corrupt, self serving bunch the better. Roll on May 2010.

- Charles, Stanmore. London

Why stop at two ? They could fleece us for a lot more if they had three !!!

- Ted, London

Nabil H of London - MPs do nothing that a mobile workforce have to do, even down to the fiddling of expenses.

I can't believe you have any sympathy for these trough-dwellers. Maybe you are one of them in disguise...

- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland

Yet this Government have the audacity to slam Tory frontbenchers who have cushy directorships. At least the Tories involved are not dipping filthy hands into the taxpayer till!

- Toks, London,UK

Are there any not on the make ? - Well none of the 8 Lib Dem London MPs claim 2nd home allowance at all

- Peter, London

No point reporting any dodgy issue involving government officials to the police judging by recent events when the Police have been called in, The Powers that be appear to have allies in all the legal off-shoots of government.

- Robert El-Cid., Hull, East Yorks.,

Oliver Cromwell had the words for it.
{ Oliver Cromwell's Speech on the Dissolution of the Long Parliament, 20th April 1653.)
QUOTE. "It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money. Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth? Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors. In the name of God, go!"
UNQUOTE

- Frank, Bristol UK

How about bunk beds and sleeping bags in the commons cellars, (the dormitory) The speaker can then send them down there when he catches them asleep in the chamber (often)

T'would save us a kings ransom.

- N Zymes, Liverpool (UK)

Here we go again! More snouts in the trough and more greedy self serving politicians feeding off the tax payer. They shoul all stop talking about Sir Fred and his greed and take a look in the mirror.

- Colin Macpherson, Gramat France

How does one start a revolution please? People need to be very, very circumspect in casting their votes at the next general election. It's about time we sent a resounding message of rejection to the big two parties.

- B Williams, Friern Barnet, UK

With so many M.Ps operating the same scam it would appear that among them are barrack room lawyers who take up more time giving out advice on expenses fiddles than they do on the country's problems.

- Ronald Whitten, chesterfield derbyshire

Re Dawn Butler:"Her office has stressed in the past that she moved into the Wembley house after being elected in 2005 to allow her to serve her constituents." Do they take us for fools? This statement is clearly implying that she conducts constituency business from her Wembley home. I doubt very much that this is the case, she will have another taxpayer funded office elsewhere (probably the one that issued the above statement!).

Rob, London: I don't subscribe to your view that a publicly owned accommodation block would be a security risk; there is no reason why such a complex would be any less secure than any other sensitive government premises, such as the Palace of Westminster where all of our MPs and Peers congregate en masse on an regular basis. It is the the obvious and probably the most cost effective solution for the long term.

When Soviet Labour came to power Billy Liar promised that they would be "whiter than white", they banged on endlessly about "Tory sleaze" and dragged the likes of Aitken and Archer through the mud. The actions of these self serving fools pales into insignificance when compared to the scandalous behaviour of "the party of the working man" over the last 12 years. Their empire is built upon a foundation of backhanders, mendacity, self service, sleaze and spin. NuLiebour are the most morally corrupt British government in recorded history.

- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster

Goverment or mafia,is there really a difference.Newspapers should never back a single party,but give its readers the information to make an informed decision on who to vote for.I hope at election time,we the voters will get the following list.a)candidate b)expenses claimed c)% of meetings attended D)achievements E)what they stand for

- David, london

Criticising Bankers Bonus's seems slightly hypocitical. MP's seem to be just as much on the make & on the take to me.

- Rupert, London

once you scratch the surface, the depth of manure seems bottomless.
is there any mps,meps, or members of the lords not on the make?
perhaps we need an election to rid the system of yesterdays members on the make.
fresh faces, with clean motives and sound agendas.

- M.O'Brien, london.uk

While the suggestion by Martin of West Wales (to provide all MPs with flats in a centrally-located appartment block) has a certain logical appeal, security concerns would rule it out. What is needed is a root and branch overhaul of the rules regarding all expenses so that MPs can only claim for costs genuinely associated with the proper performance of his/her public service, coupled with complete transparency of the claims system.

It seems that for a long time there has been a widely-held view among MPs that expenses are a legitimate top-up to salary, and you'd be a mug if you didn't take advantage by acquiring a second home and sticking your husband/wife/nanny on the payroll. And it seems that many London MPs believed that expenses to fund a second home were something to which they were entitled in order to put them on a level footing with MPs from outside London. (One can almost understand the perverted reasoning: with property prices booming, how grossly unfair that only MPs from outside London should be able to benefit from this windfall - ignoring the fact that those MPs genuinely need a second home in London).

But lest we forget, it's not just the MPs - the Lords are at it as well!

In fact, perhaps all we really need is a better standard of public servant.

- Rob, London

When election day comes, vote out the three old main parties out of Westminister and elect new parties in. It's the only way to hurt these corrupt MP's and their parties.

- Joe, Swanley Kent

Why do Journalists always assume that Lawmakers and Politicians can work like them off a hotel and move like a migrating pigeon.
You need space and resources to do the kind of jobs executive policy makers do.
I find it ludicrous that you are trying to criticise them for that. That you do constructive criticism of policy I understand, or expose blatant fraud, but having a second dedicated base to operate from is necessary for this kind of work, unless what you are looking for are just fast food type structures and regulations, a bit like tabloid style reporting at which you excel.
And maybe by the way, we are getting a taste of our own medicine, because by harassing lawmakers and not giving them the space and the comfort to produce feasible policies, constantly criticising them, what you get is a situation where we get the politicians we deserve, who cannot think for the future, and who keep being more distracted by this non-sense attacks than by doing a proper job.
Someone said rightly, "do not find a fault, find a remedy".

- Nabil H, London, UK

The rules are quite clearly wrong - and the spirit of the rules appears to be being ignored most by those who you might expect would behave properly. Obviously not - power corrupts - Brown calls a review over that which he has been at the heart of for 10 years. It's time to clear these abusers of office out - whatever side they're on.

- Ian, London, England

I blame the system if it allows an MP to claim expenses,
Opportunity helps the prepared mind.
In Italy,MPs are paid €15,000 (£14,000+ )a month plus expenses,the highest in Europe,they still claim expenses
that are exagerated.

- David Nigel Braham, Milan Italy

You start to see why, in days gone by, MPs were unpaid and had to live off a private income.

- Roz, Chamonix, France

Corruption through sheer arrogance - this is what over ten years of Labour has done for us. It is ironic but the Labour Party with a few honourable exceptions is all about how much they can extract from the taxpayer for their own interests

- Simon, London

Disgusting!
Whilst many of us face the prospect of redundancy and the fear of how to pay our mortgages, it’s been highlighted once again that these greedy, depraved individuals take advantage of the rules at the expense of the taxpayer’s.

Despite whether it's within the rules, it’s scandalous none the less.

- Geri, Thurrock, England

Martin West Wales is right a 4* hotel with lots of meeting rooms would do nicely in an area like Elephant & Castle so the can meet real people. Full secretarial services on site (no employing relatives) Unlimited travel, cattle class to their constituencies where they get a state provided car fully funded & serices. Then they would not need expenses.

- Nick, London

Actually it's not her private residence - it's tax payers subsidising it and as such we have a right to stand outside and question her on it.Ms Butler should certainly be investigated and questioned. This 2 homes is a farce and should never ever be given to MP's in London and greated London, only those that genuinely have to live where their constituency is and travel to London for work - and even then it should be limited.

- Nicky, london

Brown and his corrupt comrades are destroying the Labour movement and the party as well as the country. Surely the union leaders can see this and have the guts to do something about it or are union leaders getting too fat under New Labour too ?

- Doug Watt, london e14

how dare we come to your home? you mean OUR home. We paid for it!

- Ag, London Village

Another good use of tax payers money - also remember as these are expenses and so free of tax!!!

Also on - "I totally resent you coming to my private home. Have some respect. How dare you."

I as a taxpayer say to her "How dare you rip us off!!!"

- Jeremy E, London

And this sorry bunch, {Of all parties}, want us to re-elect them at the next election.
The sad thing is that some people WILL vote for them..!!
We need a major over-haul of politics in this country from local councils upwards.

- Mark H, London England

If they did a good job maybe we would not be so up in arms.

- Dc, London

Every time I see an advertisement on TV, stating those that illegally claim benefits will be tracked down and prosecuted, I have to wonder if any of these cheating MPs feel any guilt claiming these expenses (funded by taxpayers) for second homes.

Millions of taxpayers have lost their jobs recently and can't even keep ONE roof other their heads!

These MPs should be ashamed of themselves.

- Joon, Streatham, South London

"I totally resent you coming to my private home. Have some respect. How dare you."
How dare someone question public servant ? Is this woman for real

- Mike Murphy, london

MP's apart from 2 homes are the only ones to receive tax free allowances on cigarettes and achocol and they also decide their own pay rises all for a hard day at the trough. - M.E. Fedup

- M.E Fedup, london uk

We should build an appartment block in Central London as accomodation for MPs, rather like the barracks we provide for our armed forces. This block could be fitted out with security, conference facilites, etc. All MPs would have an allocated appartment, regardless of their constituency location. If they don't want to use the facility they pay for alternatives out of their own pockets.

- Martin, West Wales

What an absolute mess they have gotten themselves into. This bunch of jokers have it made, where do I sign up to become an MP?

- Alanj, London

It’s not illegal to claim for a second home alliance; it’s also not illegal to gamble people pension money in what is essentially a giant banking pyramid scheme. I have found a lot of banks and politicians hide behind what is legal over what is morally right and just. But who can we change things when the people in the position to do so are also the ones creating the problem?

- Paul Byrne, London

It is scandalous to expect electorate to wait until after the next election before publishing the results of their enquiries. It is a known fact that any enquiry conducted by the standards in public committee will be a complete whitewash. Why are they postponing the enquiry until autumn? What are they covering up? There should be an immediate police investigation and the guilty MPs charged and punished. To allow them to continue thieving from the public purse for another year is an insult to law abiding citizens. IF BROWN REALLY WANTED TO BOOST HIS RATINGS HE WOULD SACK THE LOT OF THEM.

- R.F., Yorks, UK

This is just a fiddle by MPs. These expenses are meant to compensate them for keeping a second home. Instead many MPs are just claiming it as a right. I expect Ms Butler will claim that she isn't breaking the rules.

- Neil, Gloucestershire, England.

Pay the money back - with interest and then you and McNulty should resign. Typical NuLab.

- Undercover Elephant, London, UK

The words nose and trough spring to mind. Time to put an end to this nonsense, Mr Brown.

- David, London, UK

MP's allowances seems to be the media's pet project at the moment. They can't be blamed for taking advantage of the rules. -If it's wrong, then it's the rules that need changed. -Just as for years, the country's rich have evaded income tax by employing experts to come up with Tax avoidance schemes. Immoral and greedy yes, but allowed within our laws, which are either sloppy and inefficient, or designed to give advantage to the rich. -Either way -it's time for change!

- Huggy, Cumbernauld Scotland

Instead of giving them a 2nd home allowance, MPs should be given a flat in the most deprived Housing Estate. If its good enough for the common man, its good enough for them!

- Ash, London

Drip, Drip, Drip. They will bleed us dry.

- Jamie Wilson, Edinburgh Scotland

These cheating MPs make me sick to the stomach, especially when they hide behind their claim of no wrong doing. The system is corrupt and needs to be changed NOW. We the voting public do not have to put up with this any longer. MPs are voted into office and the public can vote them out. Gordon Brown and his band of thieves are happy to point the finger at Sir Fred Goodwin and the banker and their bonuses but how clear can their own consciences be? MPs policing MPs yeah right how transparent is that? All (cross parties) rotten to the core.

- Sharon, London

Ye Gods! How big is this trough?

- Alan, Chigwell. UK

With people like this running the government is it any wonder this country is in such a mess?.

- Steve, London UK

Add your comment