The Lib Dems take the lead on second homes
Peter Hoskin 3:21pm
Could the second homes controversy be a chance for the Lib Dems to set themselves apart from the other parties? They've certainly come out hard on the issue, tabling an early day motion calling for the second home allowance to be abolished for London MPs, and calling for an inquiry into MPs' expenses. Here, courtesy of Politics Home, is the statement put out by their housing spokesman, Sarah Teather:
"It is completely unacceptable that London MPs living within commuting distance of Westminster are allowed to claim money for a second home. Thousands of Londoners travel to work in Central London every single day, so why on earth shouldn’t their MPs?The London second homes scandal doesn’t just damage individual MPs, it damages Parliament and our democracy.
It’s time that Parliament cleaned up its act. A full inquiry would be welcome, but unless Labour and Conservative MPs are prepared to vote for change it will continue to be business as usual at Westminster."
Good luck to her, I say. The current rules are clearly inadequate and need an overhaul. Although it should be remembered that the spate of "new politics" talk which followed the Derek Conway affair - from the Lib Dems, Tories and Labour alike - soon died down, and came to practically naught. So will things be different this time around? Watch this space.
P.S. Paul Waugh has a great post on how Downing Street is distancing itself from all this.
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Rex Burr
March 23rd, 2009 6:51pm Report this commentExpenses are to cover out of pocket costs incurred wholly in the service of the payer of the expenses. It should not be possible to increase ones wealth from expenses as it then becomes income, and is taxable.
If an employee buys a property with expense money, then ownership of that property, and any gain or loss of equity, should revert to the payer of the expenses when the receiver of the expenses leaves that employment.
It isn’t complicated!!
Hysteria
March 23rd, 2009 10:51pm Report this comment"It isn’t complicated"
as anyone who works for a well run compnay in the private sector will know......
Verity
March 24th, 2009 12:07am Report this commentIn the photo, he looks as though he's singing "My Way" on Karaoke Nite.
Fed Up
March 24th, 2009 2:05am Report this commentDoes anyone actually care what the Lib Dems think about anything these days??????
Oldsilverfox.
March 24th, 2009 7:38am Report this commentI hope that it will only apply to second homes as I seem to have read somewhere that Chris Huhne owns no less than five, give or take a couple.
Ray
March 24th, 2009 8:35am Report this commentOur MPs rather remind me of the proverbial monkey that finds his hand stuck in the jar of nuts. If he would only let go of a few nuts he could retrieve both his hand and a modest little snack as well.
However, like that greedy simian our Honourable Members just can't let go of that huge fistful of allowances that they have voted themselves, regardless of the gathering mood of public anger that threatens to engulf all their reputations.
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