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Shahid Malik hit by new expenses row over claims for a second office
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent10.06.09
Communities minister Shahid Malik today faced more questions over his expenses a day after returning to government.
The reinstated minister failed to fully clarify the details of a reported claim of at least £6,500 for a second office alongside his taxpayer-funded constituency base.
The Dewsbury MP quit as justice minister last month while an inquiry examined claims that he rented his three-bedroom constituency home at less than £100 a week.
Mr Malik was cleared of breaching the ministerial code but Gordon Brown has refused to publish the report.
He claimed up to £6,000-a-year for his office, the Daily Telegraph reported, but it also claimed he billed the taxpayer £200 a month for three years - a sum of at least £6,500.
Mr Malik said: "This is a claim for office space that I used for constituency business, the details of which were logged."
Reader views (20)
Another one with his hand in the till. Unforgivable.
- Eddie Bowler, Bromley, UK
If Brown wants to know what offends us the most. This case sums it up, we know he is a villain and yet Labour clear him and now we all get that sour labour taste forming in our mouths. Stop protecting crooks Brown.
- Gary, Brentwood 2
Ed, Hants, Very well said, I agree wholeheartedly with everything you've said, as once again I'm lost for words on this corrupt, lying, thieving bunch of scum.
Hope you feel a bit better after getting that lot off of your chest, lol.
- Mrs, London UK
When Gordon talks about openess, he refuses to release this report. There are some questions here, it does stink. Just what did he do to get subsidesed rent???
- Jeremy E, Home Counties
With these extremist crooks in power, it amazes me that more people did not vote for the BNP.
- Greg, Wigan England
Mr Brown is as guilty as all the rest go have a look at the Telegraphs infamy listings pages of MPs stealing tax payers hard earned money.
How can a guilty man become judge jury and executioner
Simple become a rubbish MP for a rubbish country
Protests are met with indifference Actions are met with force.
So there is no answer unless you want good old school boy Cameron who is also as guilty of corruption as Gordon. (see the list)
Hardly surprising that the dreaded Nazis are creeping back. BNP should be eradicated just as Hitler wasn't.
Leave the country to its inevitable fate.
- More Greed, Cornwall
For heaven's sake - wake up and do something. Let's have some real action instead of all the blather.
What the electorate wants to see is direct action about the expenses - NOT re-writes of the constitution. There will be time for that when we get a new government, more interested in the people it is supposed to be representing than their own bank-accounts.
- R.M.Hughes, Hereford. UK.
When a man seeks to climb so high that he loses touch with the rest of mankind, he becomes isolated, and this necessarily leads to failure. This is the titanic aspirations that exceed one's power. A precipitous fall would follow.
- Frank, Bristol
How much more do we have to put up with from these thieving parasites? Less than 24 hours after bottler promises to 'change his ways' we are back to the cover up's and his lies about transparency and trust are once again out the window. It's obvious that these MP's have no intention of ending the gravy train or reforming anything, they will just spout a load of nonsense in the hope it will all blow over and the public will forget all about it. This guy Malik is quite clearly as crooked as they come, as for Mawer finding no rules broken, give me a break an MP would have to rob the bank of England for this crony to find any wrongdoing. It's a joke, in the meantime Brown is prattling on about changing the voting system blah blah. He's trying a diversion tactic. Today all those disgruntled Labour MP's who claim they are serious about change could support the motion for a dissolution and an election, will they? You bet they won't because they are too concerned with their own grasping ways and want to get another years salary before they are all kicked out by the voters who won't forget their greed, fraud and abuse of our taxes. Bottler is a liar and con man, he is nothing more than an unelected despot shored up by a bunch of yellow spineless expenses cheats and 7 unelected cabinet ministers, some democracy eh!
- Ed, Hants
Well it came as no suprise that Malik is back, Brown is just incapable of change, once a manipulative deceiver always a manipulative deceiver. His arrogance and complete disregard for us the tax payers who pay for him to govern us is unforgivable. He has to go.
- Margaret, London
And these crooks ask us to trust them
Your paper should along with the rest of the media should be asking WHY the police haven't done anyting
Why the monarch hasn't said a word except for being 'dissressed'
It's not political IT'S CRIMINAL and WE are having to foot the bill
I am english & ashamed to be so
- B Davies, clacton
Poor old Shahid Malik. After all the stress he's been put through by the media he deserves time for some stress relief...Go on Shahid, treat yourself, have a massage.
- Mark H, London England
so much for Brown changing and being transparent,they are all the same "crooks" and Brown is the bigest,would we the public get away with it , i dont think so.
The police refuse to do anything ,we are being laughted at by the world because of Brown's and the MP's antics
- Steven Anthony Davenport, Corringham
So, Shahid Malik is reinstated and Brown refuses to publish the report into Malik's affairs!!! Might have known he would get away with it. And MP's wonder why the BNP managed to get 2 european seats. When will they wake up and actually listen to us, probably when it's too late. DISGRACE.
- Sandra, Hornchurch Essex
Was it just yesterday that Gordon promised reform on expenses and a new age of transparency? Here we have the test case. A minister of, lets be charitable, questionable character and personal arrangements. A perfect opportunity to fall at the first hurdle. Job done.
- Simon, St Austell
The only way of stopping these odious creeps from robbing the public purse is to have an immediate general election and kick the whole lot of them out of office. It is time for a complete flush-out of the cesspit which Westminster has become.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
Incapability Brown strikes again. Any vague notion of credibility on expense transparency and reform and has been firmly crushed by Gormless Gordon. Cue the chorus of a "Jilted John" song...
- Duncan, Bristol, UK
I really hope Mr Malik will be punished for his criminal deeds and greed, as he systematically exploited taxpayers money. I beg the media not to let him get away with it and stick to the story. Not the media damaged his reputation, only he himself is to blame for his downfall. Brown must publish the findings of Sir Philip, indeed, if they exist at all! How much did this investigation cost the taxpayers this time? How much was Sir Philip payed for it? Isn't it so, that the payer gets to see the result, so the taxpayer, the people, must be allowed to read Sir Philips papers.
E. Zeller, Berne, Switzerland
- Elisabeth Zeller, Berne, Switzerland
he should be allowed to continue to serve as an MP
and Brown has some cheek refusing to publish that report
disgrace, but what's the alternative? David Cameron?? No bloody thanks
- D Beattie, Aberdeen
When are Brown and Cameron going get tough on these cheating MPs. What we need is strong leaders with guts to sort out these greedy money grabbing snakes.I cannot vote for any of the three main parties.
M W Staffs
- M Willis, cannock,England
