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Underfire Kirkbride claimed for £50k extension for brother
Ben Bailey28 May 2009
Beleaguered Tory MP Julie Kirkbride was set to come face-to-face with her constituents today amid damaging new claims that she had breached the rules on Commons expenses.
In the most serious challenge yet to David Cameron's handling of the issue, the backbench MP refused to quit over suggestions that she used public money to effectively fund her childcare.
As she prepared to tour the doorsteps of her Bromsgrove constituency for the first time since the affair broke, Ms Kirkbride said it was upto the Tory leader to remove her if he felt her conduct was unacceptable. “If David Cameron asks me to go, then of course I will do as he asks,” she said.
But her future hung in the balance after it emerged that she had changed her story over her expense claims. The Tory leader of Worcestershire County Council said the publicity surrounding the MP was a “nightmare” for the party's local and Euro election campaign.
Ms Kirkbride admitted for the first time that she used £50,000 of taxpayers' money to fund an extension to her constituency flat, claiming that she needed to build an extra bedroom to house her brother when he stayed to look after her young son.
Under Commons rules, MPs cannot claim public money for au pairs or nannies but Ms Kirkbride's remarks seem to confirm that the expenses were used in order to fund her free childcare.
Despite insisting originally that the taxpayer faced no extra costs over her brother staying rent-free in her home, the £50,000 extension added an extra £250 to her expense claims.
Senior party figures were left reeling by the latest allegations and insisted that Ms Kirkbride will have to submit herself to the Conservatives' internal scrutiny panel which decides if MPs have to repay any public cash.
Ms Kirkbride's husband Andrew Mackay has already been forced to step aside after he claimed upto £140,000 by claiming the couple's house in London was his “second home”. Mr Mackay was forced out after a stormy meeting with constituents.
The Bromsgrove MP is already under fire over her role in her husband's allowances and the fact that her brother Ian bough electrical items totalling £1,000 on her Parliamentary office expense account.
She has also been criticised for employing her sister, Karen Leadley, as a part-time secretary even though she lived 125 miles from the constituency.
Ms Kirkbride was given permission by the Commons Fees Office to increase her mortgage by £50,000 telling the authorities that she needed an extra bedroom to house her “growing family”. But it emerged that her brother Ian lived at the flat and did not pay rent.
The MP interrupted a holiday in the West Country to defend her decision to let her brother use the flat, as well as her employment of her sister.
Hours after Cameron warned that she had “questions to answer” over her claims, Ms Kirkbride admitted: “I can understand why people are angry with me, with my husband and with MPs in general.”
But she refused to comply with Mr Cameron's edict that MPs should hold public meetings with their constituents, preferring instead to talk to voters on the doorstep.
A “Julie Must Go!” campaign, which has attracted 2,000 signatures locally, will hold a rally on Sunday but Ms Kirkbride said she would not attend.
“I would dearly love to be re-elected to the job that I simply adore and which has been very fulfilling and personally very satisfying for me over the last 12 years but that is not my decision. That is a decision that will be first and foremost by my local party,” she said.
Reader views (29)
No doubt she will soon be back at the Telegraph advising everybody how MP's should behave. Perhaps that was the cause of the problem, if Boris gets 250K a year for an hours work a week Ms Kirkbride must have been struggling to make ends meet on an MP's pay and expenses.
- C Bones, Langley England, 28/05/2009 15:49
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To quote a Prime Minister of my youth, with whom these vermin should not even share a job title; "This is bot the end, It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is the end of the beginning." The British of the 1940's smashed the German nazi scum, and the British of today will kick the crap out of these political scumbags. But of course, in those days, we had a Prime Minister with cojones, not a one-eyed pigmy who is blind in both ears.
- Lezli, London / ENGLAND, 28/05/2009 13:43
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This is terrible news. There are not enough pantomime roles to go around so there will be great competition between the Hamiltons, Wintertons and Mackay-Kirkbrides next Christmas.
- A Knight, Farnboro England, 28/05/2009 13:26
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The next photograph I want to see her is that of her coming out of a Police Station en-route to HMRC HQs'.
- Frank, Bristol, 28/05/2009 13:10
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How can this woman have added an extension to a listed building? Who granted planning permission? Has anyone seen the plans or the extension itself? She told the fees office she required the extension for her "expanding" family - what she really meant was that she needed to provide for her "extended" family. She is a liar, a cheat and a thief. I look forward to seeing the self satisfied smirk wiped off her face at the next election.
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 28/05/2009 13:08
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I see she is now saying that if she were to leave that would deter other women from entering politics. Hopefully it will deter other people like her from entering politics and if tose people happen to be women so be it. Women like you will only ever be equal to men Julie when they take responsibility for their actions and not start bleating, when it suits them, about female solidarity. The idea of female solidarity is the greatest thing holding women back apart from their appalling squirming when accountability comes knocking. Your husband resigned for a lot less than you have done, for God's sake go and go now!
- John, Aberdeen, UK, 28/05/2009 12:49
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Opposites attract when money is the connecting energy
- Ge, Republic of Cornwall, 28/05/2009 12:48
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Don't justify, Kirkbride, just go and join your husband. And yes, your pain and heartache of losing power, status and all those 'entitled' easy money for the family clan are far too much to bear, we know, we know.
- K Lee, Cheshunt, UK, 28/05/2009 12:09
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Julie, can you reconcile these two statements from the article;
"If David Cameron asks me to go, then of course I will do as he asks,”
"But she refused to comply with Mr Cameron's edict that MPs should hold public meetings with their constituents, preferring instead to talk to voters on the doorstep"
If you do not do as the Leader of the Conservative Party asks, then he WILL ask you to leave!
- Manny Goldstein, London, UK, 28/05/2009 12:04
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if this person was a surgeon and knowingly made an error, you would get that person barred. these MPS are stealing my money which is a crime. solution : fired them for gross misconduct and barred from getting into politics ever again. this will leave room for competent people.
- Philippe Le Peutrec, London, 28/05/2009 11:57
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What an absolute mess. I agreed with Jitsen this is full scale corruption and the police ought to be making charges immediately. It is extrememly embarrassing to be British. We need protest and clear information on what parliament is doing. This is our WATERGATE.
- Patricia, London, 28/05/2009 11:54
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This 'honourable' MP like many colleagues has milked the system for every damn penny it's worth. She was within the rules - what rules? There were no meaningful ones she and others made sure of that. Oh! and this latest 'extension' business, I hear the building is listed so no external extension could be made. First we had MPs with non-existant mortgages are we moving onto non existant property. Not of course the she and her husband would dream of claiming for property that does not exist like a phantom second home.............
- Mark, Bournemouth, England, 28/05/2009 11:47
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Why isn't the word corruption being used in all of this ?
If this was any other country (African, Asian, etc) there would be an out cry for the entire government / parliament to stand down.
In my opinion, all of the MP's must declare all their spendings, and if it is the case of miss use, they should be fired, made to pay back not only the monies, but interest on it, and then have a criminal record for their actions.
- Jiten Shah, London, 28/05/2009 11:06
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It may be hangging by a thread but unless she and others resign they will all pick-up a 'golden handshake' of up tp half their next years wages in 'resetllement fees'.
Thats why we are hearing that they will step-down at the elections.
Only to 'feather their nests' one more time at the taxpayers expence.
They need to go NOW not next year!!!!!
- P. C., rainham. essex., 28/05/2009 10:57
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What else has this crooked scumbag of a MP claimed for and why has she not been sacked or charged yet?
- Mike, London England, 28/05/2009 10:53
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Tom, Camberwell:
Your rant is a bit sweeping, mate.
Where's your evidence that MPs work 24/7 'on your behalf'? Last time I looked, they were enjoying yet another two weeks off (part of the bloated 18 or so weeks of holiday entitlement the Government authorises each year, to maintain such a pitifully weak level of oversight of the executive).
MPs keep banging on about what sacrifices they've made, and how they could earn far more outside politics. Well why don't they just go ahead and do so, no-one is holding a gun to their heads?
There's certainly no shortage of people trying to get into Parliament.
It's only the MPs themselves, and deluded apologists like Tom, who pretend they are over-worked and down-trodden.
The truth is we have far too many politicians who don't have a lot to do, and who have organised for themselves a cosy scam of uncontrolled allowances plus the most outrageous pension benefits imaginable.
That's why people are angry Tom, and justifiably so.
- David, Doha Qatar, 28/05/2009 10:51
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Crime stoppers should have an MP special edition. With an actress playing Ms Kirkbride with. rolls of money falling out whenever she moves having her picture taken in field of straw with a pink top on and charging us (the British public) over 1K. Then cutting to scene of building site where she is having to extend to pay for her entourage and charge us the British tax payer tens of thousands of pounds then cut to another scene where Mr Mackay is claiming expenses for every house he can find, cut back to Kirkbride hot mailing her sister a few emails for her to write during school half term cut back to the studio and the bill after years of claims by this pair they have cost the British tax payers 800K and we get someone like - Tom Leighto, Camberwell, London trolling (because he can believe what he has said) claiming we should shut up!
A crime has been committed and endorsed by members of the house unless we protest they will get away with it. The public has to complain otherwise the nasty politicians will kick this into the long grass that is for certain, they think we are all stupid and treat us with utter contempt. I do not care about Ms Kirkbride I want the money she stole returned then for her to be sentenced by a judge not committee like any other member of the public would do had we stolen money
- Gary, Brentwood, 28/05/2009 10:51
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Jon Leohton of Camberwell; If it's such a crap job, how come there are so many people fighting to get it. Cross the river mate, and come into the real world. You're obviously being dazzled by the sun in South London.
- Lezli, London / ENGLAND, 28/05/2009 10:51
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Have some dignity and go, but of course you have none.
- C Cusano, Bedford, 28/05/2009 10:45
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When the hell are we going to see some CRIMINAL prosecutions against this bunch of thieving bastards? This is OUR money these crooks are stealing. With what this scum has fiddled, the OAP could be hugely increased.
But of course, THEIR pensions, paid for by US are already enormous, so they don't give a damn.
- Lezli, London / ENGLAND, 28/05/2009 10:14
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The double standards of both the press and the majority of you readers is astounding.
You want people to work 24/7 on your behalf but bemoan the fact that they earn a fraction of what, if they were in the private sector- or even if they were civil servants, would be a minuscule salary. Even with the expenses added.
The arrogance of the public is what astounds me. I'd like to see the majority of you the public do better. And I bet you would have done pretty much the same with expenses too.
Please, all of you, SHUT UP!
- Tom Leighto, Camberwell, London, 28/05/2009 09:53
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HELLO LONDON,
THESE PEOPLE JUST DON'T GET IT, WHY?.
BECAUSE THEY GOT IT "LOADS A MONEY" RIPPED YOU AND ME OFF "BIG TIME".
IF THE LABOUR PARTY COULD TURN BACK THE CLOCK OF WESTMINSTER WOULD THEY HAVE BROUGHT IN THE "FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT"?, I DON'T THINK SO, BUT IT IS THE BEST THING THEY HAVE DONE, SHOWN MANY M.Ps.UP FOR WHAT THEY ARE .... CROOKS?.
THE EXPENSES "GRAVY TRAIN" SHOULD ALSO STOP AT BRUSSELS AND LETS HAVE A LOOK AT M.E.Ps., EXPENSES CLAIMS, I BET THEY WILL RUN IN THE MILLIONS ..... THE GREEDY GITS?.
POLITICIANS SAY THEY WORK HARD FOR YOU AND ME, IT'S THE OTHERWAY ROUND THEY WORK FOR THEMSELVE'S AND BECOME RICH ON THE BACK OF YOU AND ME, THATS THE DIFFERENCE OR HAVE I GOT IT WRONG?.
WHAT A MESS.
- John L., Scarborough North Yorkshire, U.K., 28/05/2009 09:40
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When is our useless police going to arrest this thief and her husband
- Trevn, Abu Dhabi, 28/05/2009 09:28
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Has this woman had an affair with someone high up in the Conservative party? Seems she should have been out on her ear ages ago.
- Thomas, London, 28/05/2009 09:23
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The arrogance of these corrupt MPs is staggering. If Kirkbride had any sense of decency she would resign but she is proving to be like most other MPs - lacking decency, integrity and morals.
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 28/05/2009 09:09
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"The MP couple claimed around £170,000 in allowances against both their homes .."
You were screwing the system and you knew it. Go.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 28/05/2009 08:59
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Cameron should step in and do the right thing as he publicly heralds non-tolerance of such greed - she clearly has no decency/scruples - why is she trying (failing) to justify this "theft" from the taxpayers?
- David, SOUTHAMPTON, 28/05/2009 08:54
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Making hay while the sun shines eh!
- Johnnyboy, manchester, 28/05/2009 08:32
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I want my money back.
I thought Jacqui Smit was taking the biscuit. Julie Kirkbride and her entourage had an entire shipment of Jaffa's. Is it possible for another family to take the Michael as much as this one has?
I honestly hope not. Politics is going to have massive problems recovering from this affront. I hope David does the right thing and sacks her, not let her quit at the next election but remove the whip and hand her accounts over to the Police and Tax man.
- Gary, Brentwood, 28/05/2009 08:00
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